Shimmers
by SquallCullen
Summary: Takes place after the almost kiss. Alice's horse bolts, sending the ever watchful Hatter to her rescue again. What's changed for our beloved characters? A/H D/J C/R Rated M for the few scenes which are clearly advertised as mature.
1. Chapter 1

**D.** – **My first Halice fiction. Like all my fiction, it starts with a dream. Hatter was feeding Alice berries in a forest. It seems like my muse ran away with me, 33 Chapters at my last count. I owe many thanks to my loving husband who has put up with my random muse whisperings, my zoning out to run a scenario in my head and my obsession with Hatter and Alice music videos on You Tube. Also, special thanks to my cousin, who introduced me to Alice. Thanks a ton Rat!**

**Disclaimer: I'm only doing this once so pay attention. I don't own any form of the characters from Alice or Alice's Adventures In Wonderland. They belong to their respective owners. I've only borrowed them, screwed their lives up a bit and returned them hale and hearty to their original owners. I am not receiving any monetary compensation and I most sincerely thank the Syfy channel for releasing this beautiful mini series. At my first opportunity, I will purchase a copy to support your lovely efforts.**

**I will include a notice that a few of the chapters are almost word for word from the movie because I couldn't write them better than the Alice writers did. Please don't look at those chapters as plagiarism. Instead, think of it as imitation, which is the sincerest form of flattery. There is always some small difference to set them apart, but still, I just wanted to make that clear.**

**Here we go kiddies, strap in, it's a long and complicated ride. This picks up from the scene where Alice and Hatter ALMOST kiss. Damn that Jack to the deepest pits of hell.**

Alice and Hatter were walking back into Charlie's camp after Hatter's return from town and Alice's nerves were finally catching up to her. After falling through a mirror, a very hard landing and a short but high flight on a giant beetle, she'd been forced into the hands of the Hatter. This man had at first tried to reach for help on her behalf, but after he almost got them both killed, Alice took over the plans. Hatter wasn't swayed and helped her every step of the way. He saved her from men with cookie jar heads, and beasts alike, even managed to find her inside her own personal hell and pull her out safely. He convinced her that she could fly with him, if it meant not being shot. They survived the crash and the ensuing argument about Jack. And now that he'd again gone and risked his neck to contact the resistance on her behalf, she just wasn't sure that she could have handled any of it without him. So what if she couldn't get home? Would Hatter continue to watch over her, to be her unlikely hero? She knew she couldn't ask him to do it, because then it would be out of a sense of duty, not the crazy, romantic and completely right feelings she seemed to be swamped by. Her heart was aching, her future looked dim and it was all Alice could do to keep her emotions bottled up. Naturally, Hatter picked up her unease.

"What's the matter?" He stopped walking and faced Alice. Her eyes were screaming in fear, but her face seemed passably calm. Alice looked Hatter in the eyes.

"What will I do-" Her voice cracked and she swallowed before continuing "-If I get stuck here?" She tried to school her features to seem purely curious, to ignore the leap of her heart when his hand brushed hers accidentally. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts, but when he finally spoke, his tone was nervous, almost afraid.

"Then I'll make sure you're ok." He looked into her eyes, those beautiful searching blue eyes. There were no words immediately; they just stared at each other until Hatter caught her looking down at his lips. He couldn't stop the cocky phrase as it slipped out.

"I think you're luck is finally changing." He dipped his head to kiss her as she leaned up, but they pulled away before their lips met at the sound of none other than the Prince of Hearts.

"That's right, it is!" Jack paraded into the camp, Charlie's sword in hand. "Hello Alice. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Hatter, enraged at the gall of the man who was two timing his Alice, just marching up and interrupting their lovely time together, stepped forward, half blocking Alice from the man. He reached back and wrapped his hand around her wrist, waiting. His attention was called to a tied up Charlie on the ground when he spoke.

"I know what you're thinking. How can anyone sneak up on me, of all people? And in my own Manor too..." Charlie's voice carried the lilt of amazement and a hint of humor so Hatter dismissed him as being safe for the moment, turning back to Jack, a look of hatred in his eyes for attacking the daft old man. Alice snapped out of her stunned observation to rush to Charlie.

"Charlie! Are you okay? Jack, what the hell is wrong with you?" Alice reached forward and began to untie her friend. Hatter followed her over, wielding a small tree branch to defend her, in case the need arose. Jack bristled at the thought that Alice needed protecting from him.

"Do you think you can take me on with that?" Jack asked Hatter incredulously. Hatter, knowing that the stick was only to distract the Prince long enough to land a punch, straightened.

"I'm not an old man." Charlie, his hands finally released, sat up and almost collided his head into Alice.

"OI!" Alice raced over to separate the boys, leaving Charlie to free his own legs.

"Look, no one is fighting unless it is me, and I am a black belt, remember?" Jack didn't even wait for her words to sink in.

"Who's your friend?" Hatter braced himself for the let down.

"His name is Hatter." Jack lowered his stolen sword.

"Yes, you two looked pretty friendly." Alice was taken aback by the vehemence in his words.

"Are you jealous Jack?" Jack sneered with a quiet reply of: "A little." Alice continued angrily. "Did I hear that right, the man who's engaged to a Duchess is worried about me?" Jack straightened in defense.

"You know that was just an act." Alice shook her head angrily.

"No, I don't." Jack, tired of discussing this in front of an audience, walked away.

"Come I've brought you a horse. Let's get out of here." Hatter immediately jumped out in front of Alice.

"She's not going anywhere with you." Jack turned a disdainful eye back on Hatter.

"You know she can't stay here."

"Look, stop it both of you!" She continued in softer tones for Hatter, placing a gentle hand on his lapel. "I need to know about my dad." She turned to Jack. "Is he here?"

"Yes, he's alive and well and if you'll let me, I'll take you to him." Hatter could smell the bullshit from where he was standing, but bit his tongue, willing to let Alice make the choice. He'd just have to correct her if she picked the wrong one.

"Really?" Alice's voice was small and childlike.

"But we'd better get going, we don't have much time." Alice stepped closer to Jack, making Hatter extremely nervous. He was itching to throw just one little punch into that aristocratic jaw. Alice's voice broke through his nastier thoughts.

"Where is he?" Jack stepped closer to her again.

"We're moving him into the city and if we hurry, you can see him by nightfall." Alice looked confused.

"What do you mean moving him?" Jack reached out to touch her hand.

"I have people helping me." Hatter couldn't restrain himself anymore.

"What people?" Jack ignored him, looking into Alice's eyes.

"Do you want to see him or not?" Alice replied quickly, her mind catching up as she spoke.

"Yes, of course. Right…um…Wow, okay." Hatter stared in shock.

"Don't tell me you trust this guy?" he said, jerking his thumb to indicate Jack. Alice shook her head slightly but added.

"He knows where my dad is." Hatter grabbed her by the upper arms.

"He'll say anything to get his hands on the ring." Alice replied angrily.

"He hasn't asked for the ring, he doesn't want the ring! Do you Jack?" Jack chose the honest answer.

"Yes, I do." Alice was taken aback by the answer.

"You do?" Hatter jumped in to complete the thought.

"It's just all an act!" Jack rushed to recover lost ground.

"We need the ring to get you home. The looking glass won't work without it." Hatter, angry at the entire ridiculous situation, snorted in derision and turned to walk away, before he did break Jack's pretty lying face. He heard Alice's reply "Of course." So he turned around, angry and not willing to back down until she understood the truth of the matter.

"Don't be fooled by this Alice. He's working for his mother. Blood and water, you remember?" Jack laid his facts out bare.

"Then why am I alone? Why aren't there 500 suits at my back? How did I find you in the middle of the forest, you think I just followed my nose?" Hatter walked up and placed himself between Jack and Alice, right up close to Jack's face.

"How did you find us?" Jack, tired of being on the defensive, let slip his big secret.

"You sent for me." Alice, mostly silent while the men argued about it, just stared in confusion. Sharing that look with Hatter prompted him to continue.

"Come again?" Jack sighed in frustration.

"I'm the agent who's supposed to escort you to Caterpillar." Hatter stepped back a step, incredulous and Alice finally spoke up.

"You know Caterpillar?" Her tone was not as accusing as Hatter's but Jack felt the sting of doubt just the same.

"Very well. Caterpillar recruited me into the resistance. That's why I stole the ring and escaped to your world. It was supposed to trigger a coup; unfortunately, well… you saw what happened. But if you give us back the ring, we can give it another try." Alice came to a sudden realization.

"You want to overthrow your mother." She stated with a hint of finality. Jack rushed to defend himself.

"I've seen what she's done in close up. And I know, perhaps better than anyone, that if I don't stop her, she'll destroy Wonderland." Jack smiled his most charming smile as he approached Alice, standing next to the con man. "So who are you going to trust to get you and your father back home? A resistance insider and future King, who's already scheduled your return trip through the looking glass, who cares for you more than anyone in the world. Or this man?"

Hatter could feel the rejection in every fiber of his being. He knew that there was no earthly reason she would pick his help over that of a Prince. Jack could probably get her home safely in half the time, with no more trips to the torture room, no more need to be saved. Hatter dropped his stick to the ground and stepped away from Alice, not needing or wanting to hear her answer to Jack's question. Jack smiled secretly at his reaction then turned to Alice, wiping the grin from his face before she could see it. He reached for her hand again.

"Where's the ring Alice?" Alice looked over at Hatter and then took a deep breath before answering.

"Its where is belongs." When she turned to look at the Red King's corpse sitting on his throne, Charlie looked over and shook his head wistfully.

"Huh! Under my very nose." He continued to rub his ankles and wrists to improve circulation. Hatter, tired of the same old song and dance opted to leave before Alice and Jack, eliminating the awkward goodbye.

"I wish you all the luck in the world Alice." She turned to face him, her fear racing to her features, painted like a veil over her face. Hatter couldn't help but feel terrible about it, but stayed resolved by looking down. Alice tried to reach for him.

"You're coming with us Hatter." She said with a touch of finality. Hatter couldn't help but think that she would make an excellent future Queen and just as quickly banished the thought, lest he break down and cry at her feet right now.

"I don't think I feature in the future King's plans." He tried to smile and laugh it off, but it was forced and even Alice noticed. She turned to face Jack.

"He's coming with us." She tried the same note of finality, but Jack ignored it, placing the ring in his jacket breast pocket and then patting it for good measure.

"Caterpillar was very clear. The Resistance will only help you on their terms, you must come alone." Alice tried again to keep Hatter by her side, which buoyed Hatter's spirit until he felt like he could burst.

"But Hatter stood by me!" The bittersweet sensation of knowing that she finally trusted him, even if she didn't know it, and knowing that she still chose to go with Jack was killing him. Jack continued to prattle on.

"It's for your safety and your fathers." Hatter stepped close enough to Alice to breathe her in one last time.

"Hey. I wouldn't want to go with this guy anyway." He whispered to Alice, and then turned away from the hurt and the emotion in her eyes. He turned away to hide his own false joviality. Only a step away, Alice called after him.

"What will you do?" Hatter turned back, forcing himself to smile again, to pretend the joke is still funny.

"Me?" He took a breath. "You kidding?" He smiled looking over at Jack for help, realizing he was useless in this endeavor and then turned back to Alice. "I'll be fine. Believe me." He almost choked on the words, but managed to continue. "You're better off with this guy." Another final look at his Alice, one last breath of her presence and his heart shattered. "Go." Was all he could manage before he walked over to the now fully armored Charlie and walked with him back up the hill, to overlook the field and Chess Village.


	2. Chapter 2

**D.- My first review! Thanks a ton to CupofTeaforAliceandHatter for being the first review. I appreciate that you want to read more, so here it is. Chapter 2!**

Alice watched Hatter approach Charlie and usher him up the hill away from her. She felt alone, for the second time in Wonderland since she'd met Hatter. The torture chamber was the first and even then, Hatter had shown up at just the right time to save her from the Doctors and their disappearing foothold. She never would have jumped if it had been anyone else standing at that door, asking her to trust them. This time felt different to her somehow, like Hatter wasn't just saying that he understood that she needed to go alone to save her father, but maybe that he understood that she was choosing Jack over him.

She looked over at Jack, who was still standing near the king's throne, looking at her. His look made her feel controlled, patronized and she didn't like it. Looking back at Hatter, he was helping old Charlie up the hill. Alice smiled softly at his retreating form, noticing again how careful he was to help only when asked, not to make Charlie feel useless. Hatter might make jokes about Charlie being older than the dirt he slept on, but he had a very caring heart. Hatter looked up then, right into her big doe eyes and saw for a moment the tender affection she was feeling. The moment was broken when Jack stepped over to her and pulled her towards his two horses. Hatter responded to the action by turning and taking a step toward them, but Alice just smiled at him.

"I'll be fine." She mouthed with a teary smile. Jack, anxious to get going, away from the influence of the con man all but dragged her to the horse, bent down and lifted her bridal style and set her on the horse. Alice then had to turn her body and lift a leg over the saddle to be comfortable. Jack leapt up on his horse and maneuvered himself in between Alice and Hatter, motioning for her to begin the trek around the hill where she had chatted with Hatter and down towards the old Chess Village across the horizon. Alice was slow to descend the hill, her thoughts melancholy and missing Hatter. Little did she know, Hatter and Charlie were both, at that very moment, saddling Guinevere and Lancelot so that they could follow. Hatter took a deep breath and pulled himself into the saddle, turning his head to address Charlie as he copied the gesture.

"Now, I'm not sure which path Jack is gonna use to get back to the city, but there are only two safe paths and two of us so we'll have to split up. I'll go through the Chess Village, and you can go around it, to the North. We'll find each other again on the other side." Charlie seemed to ponder and was clearly about to spout off some black arts babble, but Hatter interrupted as he grabbed the reins for his mare.

"We're losing time here already. Keep watch for me after you pass the canyon. Good luck Charlie." Charlie laid his hand over his heart, made a quick half-bow and muttered to Hatter's retreating form.

"And you Harbinger, and you." Hatter set off, almost flying over the giant grassy land between the Kingdom of the Knights and the Chess Village. He could feel his horse's joy at being let free to race her little heart out. When they were up the path and into the chess buildings, he slowed her down, patting her head gently to calm her faster. He needed to be able to listen for hoof beats in the distance to hear Alice and Jack if they came this way. He moved his horse along at a gentle walk, straining his ears to hear any noise which might tip him off, and moments later, it's the whinny of a horse that gets his attention. His gut was screaming at him that there was trouble, so he dug in his heels.

"Go Guin. Go!" He tried to wish the horse faster because he could just make out Alice's frightened mutterings and the horse was still distressed. He prayed that Jack had the good sense to dismount and try to stop the horse before it bolted, but moments later, he could see the Prince's back as he raced through the foliage. Hatter prayed his horse could keep the pace and fought to catch him up, but then, the Prince's horse shied and stopped suddenly. Hatter saw the ledge in the sparse light and he dug in his heels again, encouraging the horse to surge past the Prince and over the canyon. The Prince was calling to Alice, and for that, Hatter felt a quick jolt of irritation at the foolish twit. Alice was no experienced rider; she had little to no hope of calming a runaway horse without assistance. Hatter continued on the path of broken shrubs as fast as his horse would ride, and they came upon Alice's horse, pinned by a half circle of trees, rearing and distressed. Hatter slowed Guinevere and all but leapt off her back. Guinevere turned away from the frightened gelding as Hatter vaulted over a large fallen tree. He managed to get to the horse, and Alice exclaimed when she saw him.

"Hatter?" He didn't look at her as he tried to help her calm the horse. His instructions were hard to hear, but he dare not raise his voice because frightened cries would only aggravate the horse further.

"Alice, keep yourself pressed against the horse if he bolts again. Just keep your head lower than his, ya don't want to hit your head or get knocked off. Hold the reins as close to the bit as ya can to help guide him, but don't wrap them around your arms or you'll be dragged if ya fall. Try to murmur to him, like a baby." Alice flattened against the now bucking horse, reaching around to grip the horse's reins only a few inches from its spitting mouth. She murmured little cooing sounds and tried to keep calm, but when Hatter made a lunge for the reins to hold him, the horse spooked again, reared up and spun itself around, racing back towards Guinevere, easily leaping over the log. Hatter, in his desperation to get to and save Alice ran at the log, jumped up to stand on it then vaulted onto Guinevere's back, immediately pressing his heels into her sides. She took off, ready for another run. Alice tried to pull on the reins, hoping it would slow the horse, but he just shook his head and pressed on, continuing at the pace he had chosen. Hatter was just catching up to the horse, close enough to grab its tail, and when the trail widened, he raced ahead. When he was side by side, he noticed the trail was slimming down again.

He reached over to Alice, grabbing her by the waist, called a quick "Ready?" before lifting her over and onto his horse. She landed on the folded up saddle blanket, her chest to his chest just in time for him to pull up on the reins and stop Guinevere from colliding with the gelding as they were both headed into the bottle neck. Alice wrapped her arms around his lower back, caging herself under his arms and pressed her head into his neck. She was shaking like a leaf and Hatter was quick to move to another fallen log, he helped her off of the horse and set her onto the log before throwing his leg over and dismounting himself. Alice had collapsed onto her behind on the log and was panting for breath. Hatter moved to step up to her, to comfort her, but she suddenly turned away and began to vomit behind the log. Hatter, seeing her suffer from this terrible shock, reached forward and pulled her hair back, twisting it into a single manageable twist and tucking it under the collar of her coat. He gently rubbed circles on her back. Gradually, Alice is soothed enough that she turns away from her little mess and faces him. She is pale and shaking and clearly in no condition to ride back to the canyon to explain to Jack. Hatter removed the horse's saddle and took the blanket over to a little knot of exposed tree roots, settling the blanket into the knot to soften the seat, and then helping her over and into the little nest.

"Alice, I need to head back over to the canyon to tell Jack that we're ok. It's not far luv and I'll only be gone a few minutes." Her eyes, her terrified blue eyes shot to him and he felt like the worst kind of criminal, like he was taking away a child's favorite toy. He shrugged out of his jacket and laid it gently over her.

"I'll be right back Alice, just stay and rest a minute or two." Alice moved to pull out from under his coat but he grabbed her hand. He gently took his hat off and set it on her head.

"Now ya know I'll be back for this hat since I look pretty foolish without it. Please Alice, just stay here, with Guinevere, and I'll be right back to ya." Alice didn't struggle this time, but Hatter wanted her to confirm it aloud.

"You going to stay like a good girl?" He reached for Guinevere and tied her to a tree nearby, something in Alice's line of sight, but not so close as to touch her. He barely heard Alice's quiet reply.

"I'll stay for you."

Hatter heard her reply, and his heart jumped into his throat. He had to fight back the feeling that she was opting to stay in Wonderland permanently. She was upset and in a mild state of shock, she'd say anything if he pushed her hard enough. He leaned down to her, laid a kiss on her forehead then walked back towards the canyon. As soon as he was sure he was out of sight, he ran as fast as he could toward the ledge, hoping that Jack would still be there, trying uselessly to get his horse to jump it. He was disappointed that Jack had left already; the whole event couldn't have lasted more than 5 or 6 minutes. He called out for him, a few times, but Hatter gave up himself after only a minute. He leaned over the ledge, grounded to a tree by his trusty right hand, but couldn't see a bridge or rock formation that met the other side. He could, however, just make out a path leading from the unseen side of the plateau down to the desert floor below. If he were Jack, but less of an asshole, and he wanted to get over here, that's the way he would take, so he decided to take Alice in that direction. He left the canyon edge and headed back to Alice as quickly as he could.


	3. Chapter 3

**D.- Big thanks to my next reviewer, ****Sake-kunXx, who was most insistent on seeing more of the story and who noticed some verb problems. I really paid very close attention to them this chapter and will continue to do so in the future. Thank for the tip!**

Hatter spots a haleberry bush on his way back to Alice. Thinking to bring both her and the horse a treat, he untucks his shirt and picks a handful for each, transporting them slowly and carefully back to the camp. Hatter knows that haleberry preserves are often fed to invalids on toast and it improves their overall health very quickly. He is smiling proudly when he re-enters the camp, but his smile fades as he finds Alice curled up completely under his jacket, only a tuft of hair and his hat visible above the coat collar. He sets the berries down on the log and then moves to Alice. Pulling his hat and coat off of her, he finds Alice curled up, arms wrapped around her stomach defensively, sweating and shivering. Hatter lifts Alice up bridal style, sits down on the blanket himself, his back to a tree and settles her sideways in his lap. He pulls his coat up to wrap around her and keep their heat in to combat the shock. Hatter begins to rub her arms and talks to her about anything he can think of.

"I've found some haleberries in a bush near the camp. They'll help your stomach settle and make ya feel better. Sweet little berries they are too, I don't think you'll have to force yourself to eat them. My people usually make haleberry preserves. Ya know, just in case ya wake up ill one day, just smear some on a piece of toast or take a spoonful and you're right as rain in no time. Do ya feel like trying a few?" Alice made no response, her eyes stayed shut tightly, like she was fighting inside her head. Hatter decides to change topics.

"Jack had already left the canyon when I got there, but in the distance I can see a nice safe path down the cliff face. We'll get down to the desert floor in no time and get ya to your father." Alice began to tighten her posture into a smaller ball so Hatter snuggles his head into the crook of her neck, mostly because it's the only flesh easily accessible to him. Pressing flesh to flesh would reassure her that he was there for her, and he could try to gauge her temperature. Doing so also had the distinct side effect of giving him a calming dose of Alice's smell. Fresh and soft, it made him happier and calmer and more optimistic but his buzz dies quickly as Alice lets her head fall back, borderline sleeping in his arms. Hatter pushes off his coat and spins Alice around in his lap to straddle him, and then lifts his hands to hold her face inches from his.

"Alice, ya need to open your eyes now luv, that's enough hiding. The horse ride is over and we need ta get moving again." Hatter rubs his thumb around her cheekbone and slides his hand down to hold her jaw. When nothing happens except her pulse picking up, he tries again.

"Alice, its Hatter. Open your eyes and look at me. I've got my hat back on, same old Hatter sitting here, waiting for ya. I need you to open your eyes now Alice. Come on. Snap out of it Alice!" He was so tempted to shake her, he'd heard of people slapping shocked people but he couldn't bring himself to hit her. Resigned and wary, he turns her head to his, and then leans in so that their lips would meet gently.

He presses his lips gently to hers, increasing the pressure at first then slightly opening his mouth against hers. He leans back to take a breath and presses their lips together again, his hand sliding into her hair. He was so incredibly distracted by her soft lips that he didn't notice the slight tremor that went through her body. It was her tongue sliding across his lips that startles him out of his bliss and when his lips part in shock, Alice takes advantage. Her tongue sweeps in and Hatter has never felt anything like it. He lets her raid his mouth, but when her tongue brushes his and he feels warmth spread through him, he wants to reciprocate. His tongue slides slowly and he hopes sensually across hers inside the cavern of his mouth. She wraps her arms around his neck, one hand sliding up into the hair at the nape of his neck and the other under the collar of his shirt and down against his collarbone, pressing him back into the tree.

Hatter pulls his mouth back and gently leaves a soft kiss on her lips. When he opens his eyes to see her, she's staring back at him, shock and desire warring in her eyes. He smiles his crooked smile and rests his forehead against hers.

"I'm so glad you're ok." She shakes her head a little, like she's waking from a dream, shaking cobwebs away, then sobs quietly and folds herself into his arms. He holds her as she cries out her fear. He soothes her with a gentle song he used to hear in the old kingdom.

"A froggie would a-wooing go,  
Heigh ho! says Rowley,  
Whether his mother would let him or no.  
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,  
Heigh ho! says Antony Rowley.

So off he set with his opera hat,  
Heigh ho! says Rowley,  
And on the road he met with a rat,  
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,  
Heigh ho! says Antony Rowley.

Pray, Mr. Rat will you go with me?  
Heigh ho! says Rowley,  
Kind Mrs. Mousey for us to see…  
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,  
Heigh ho! says Antony Rowley.

They came to the door of Mousey's hall,  
Heigh ho! says Rowley,  
They gave a loud knock, and they gave a loud call.  
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,  
Heigh ho! says Antony Rowley.

Pray, Mrs. Mouse are you within?  
Heigh ho! says Rowley,  
Oh yes, kind sirs, I'm sitting to spin.  
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,  
Heigh ho! says Antony Rowley.

Pray, Mrs. Mouse will you give us some beer?  
Heigh ho! says Rowley,  
For Froggy and I are fond of good cheer.  
With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,  
Heigh ho! says Antony Rowley.

They partied and laughed til time it was late,

Heigh ho! Says Rowley,

We must be off 'fore my mum locks the gate.

With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,  
Heigh ho! says Antony Rowley.

Mr. Rat walked Froggy home to his mum,

Heigh ho! Says Rowley,

She sent him to bed, a bump on his bum,

With a rowley, powley, gammon, and spinach,  
Heigh ho! says Antony Rowley

Alice laughed a little as he finished his song.

"You know, in truth, the song was much longer and ended with a cat and her kittens eating the happy little mouse and Mr. Rat. Also, when the frog runs away, he gets eaten by a duck. But I wanted a happy ending instead." Alice rolls her eyes at his candor, but smiles at him.

"Thanks." She takes a breath. "Thanks for everything Hatter. I can't count how many times you've saved me, but I'm so grateful." Alice gives him a peck on the cheek and stands to go sit on the log. Hatter follows, slips on his coat and adjusts his hat and then remembers the berries.

"Did ya hear me mention the haleberries to ya earlier? You should try some, they make people feel better." He picks up a cluster in his hand and holds them out to her.

Alice looks at him curiously, obviously not remembering his attempts to wake her, but then plucks a berry from his hand. They are a long purple berry with a round tuft of pink leaf poking out one side. Hatter picks one off of the pink bushy stem and holds the pink leafy end while he bites the rest of the berry off in one smooth bite. Alice blushes, looking away as she bites into her own berry, juice dribbling down her chin. She reaches to stop the juice with the back of her hand and just as she wipes it off her chin, Hatter captures her hand and lays an open mouthed kiss on her hand, sucking up the juices.

He watches her as he does and notices she didn't try to pull away and her eyes were distinctly darker than they were a moment before. He smiles crookedly and walks back to the berries, pulling half of them off their stems to take them to the horse. Hatter remembers hearing stories that horses recovered stamina when they ate haleberries and hopes they were correct. It isn't long before both the horse and Alice have finished their treat and they are ready to leave. Hatter begins saddling Guinevere, but seeing Alice shrinking back from the movement, he stops his task and approaches her.

"Alice, we have to make our way to Jack. I know you don't wanna take a horse, but this is Lady Guinevere, not some random horse you've never ridden before. Guinevere is probably the oldest and most tame horse in Wondaland. That jump across the gap was about all she could manage and she likely won't have enough energy to carry the two of us, never mind have another breakneck run through unfamiliar territory. Besides, I'll be right with you and I will always keep you safe luv." Hatter is relieved when Alice sighs and nods her head. He returns to saddling the horse, doubling the extra blanket over behind the saddle to remove some of the discomfort of ridding barebacked.

Hatter explains the terrain and the extra time it will take them to get back to Jack. Alice is still reluctant to get on the horse because of the awkward position they used the first time they rode double on Guinevere. Hatter suggests that she ride on the saddle, while he controls the horse from behind her and his plan is met with a small smile. Hatter gives Alice a boost onto the saddle and steadily walks Guinevere over to the fallen tree. He steps up onto it, and then settles behind her, both arms reaching around her to control the horse on their path


	4. Chapter 4

**D.- Here we go, a new reviewer, a new chapter! Many thanks to Rue Mo, who liked both the song and the berries. The song itself, I cannot take credit for anything but the last two verses. I looked up some old folk songs, found that one called 'Froggy would a wooing go' and it even had a video of a gentleman playing it on guitar and singing. It was lovely but the end really does see all the characters dead, so I wrote in a different ending. The berries were my idea, and I got the inspiration for them from pheasant berries. If you google them, you'll get a pretty close idea what a haleberry looks like.**

Jack left the area when it became clear that he couldn't reach Alice. He went back to the city as fast as the horse would take him to see Caterpillar, albeit without Alice. Caterpillar forced a sleep mushroom into Carpenter, and they took him very carefully, very untraceably through the Hospital of Dreams and into the Great Library, careful to keep him unconscious. They placed him in a time shifted room, to hide him, while they waited for Jack to go find Alice and bring her back.

Jack sets out immediately after to find Alice and beat the hell out of Hatter for following them. He leaves the city shortly before dark and rides through the night back to the mouth of the canyon that Alice's horse had leapt across. He sets up camp there and sleeps as he waits the few remaining hours until dawn, when he can venture into the forest area to find his Alice.

Alice and Hatter are forced to go the long way round, trying to find a route that leads to the path Hatter had seen. Every time they hit a dead end, Hatter would tie Guinevere up and then continue on foot to see if he could reach the ledge to see the path. He makes his way up a small bank and is able to look over, but the path is still far away. Unable to see a way to the path, he returns to Alice, mounts up and they continue. Alice looks morose and Hatter wants to bring a little life into her countenance. Unable to stand her silence anymore, he begins to talk about the

"Alice, I- I'm real sorry about you missin' the meetin' with yo dad. I-" Alice turns her head, stopping Hatter's nervous apology.

"It's not your fault Hatter. In fact, if you hadn't been nearby, I might have been killed and my mom would never know what happened. You're trying to help me meet with my dad, which you were so convinced was nothing but a trap, but you're still trying to help me." She smiled a small smile and leaned into him.

They travel on a while in silence, Alice nearly nodding off, wrapped in Hatter's arms. They step into another clearing and this time he lets Alice down first, then slides off and leads Guinevere to a patch of grass. He turns to go towards the ledge and just barely stops himself from falling over the ledge. He grabs a young tree for a tether and leans over the edge. Alice, nervous at his display, comes closer to the edge, with the hope that if something bad happens, she has the courage to help him. Hatter pulls himself back up quickly, perplexed.

"Now that can't be right. We've been traveling for hours, and it seems we've made no progress at all. Have we been goin' round in circles?" He mumbles to himself, then looks up at Alice. He gives her a crooked smile. He begins picking up small, dry sticks to start a fire as Alice returns the few feet to the camp to visit with the horse.

Alice is rubbing down the horses head and neck and offering it some handfuls of grass. It is her giggle that draws Hatter's eye as he stops collecting twigs and steps into the small clearing. He smiles at her, lifts his one hand, a handful of branches clutched tightly in it.

"Didja wanna travel some more or make camp for the night Alice? It seems to me that we're not making any progress, which is ridiculous but every time we've stopped, I looked over at the path and it's always the same distance away. It's driving me mad!" Alice looks pensive a moment but nods her head as she replies.

"Making camp makes the most sense. We'll need to scout around, see if there's water, make a fire, and maybe find something for dinner..?" She looks at Hatter, who suddenly feels completely unequal to the challenge of roughing it. He puts on a brave face for Alice and walks away from camp, whistling a tune. Alice fiddles around with the saddle bag on the horse and finds a lighter, some dried jerky-like meat and a half-empty canteen. Hatter returns with his arms full of bigger wood, seemingly snapped apart, instead of the nicely cut logs she had imagined. She berates herself for her thoughts. 'It's not like he left with an axe to go cut wood, how else can he get wood for a fire?' And then the thought completes itself for her and she speaks up.

"How did you get that wood? It's not clean cut or chewed off by an animal, but it looks like it's been torn apart." Hatter blushes a little and sets the fire wood down, arranging it so the dry leaves and kindling would catch the logs afire. He doesn't look at her as he answers.

"I punched it. Owl always called my right hand a sledgehammer, and I think she might be right. Hit something with enough force, enough times, it'll come down. The tree itself was already half gone so I just finished taking it down and pulled it apart into more manageable pieces." Alice nods distractedly and Hatter raises an eyebrow at her. She snaps her head to look at him suddenly, blushes at being caught woolgathering and hands him the lighter she got from the saddlebag.

"I also found some dried meat and a canteen in the saddlebags. The canteen is only about half full, but it's something right?" Hatter smiles encouragingly and goes about setting the kindling aflame and Alice carries over the rations she had found. They settle down to a light snack and a small drink before they bunk down. Alice settles near the fire, using the horse saddle blanket for heat. Hatter opts to recline into a tree with the saddle behind him for comfort.

Alice wakes from a nightmare, gasping for breath, to see the fire is still strong. She looks over, but Hatter is still apparently sleeping. Deciding that she needs a little privacy, she leaves camp to empty her bladder. She finds a few roots that make a little half circle only a few trees away from camp. Praying Hatter doesn't wander over; she quickly sheds her tights and goes about her business, keeping her eye in the direction she came from. Business complete, she redresses as fast as she can and wanders carefully in the dark back towards the fire. But she never gets any closer to the fire.

Panicked, she picks up her pace, almost running in the direction of the light but it never gets closer. Fearful, she calls out to Hatter, her tone afraid and wary. When she receives no reply, she cries out again, more urgently, still without reply. Suddenly completely overset by fear, she begins to try to climb over or skirt around anything in her path while looking directly at the fire. She can almost make out Hatter's sleeping form, she's sure of it. But she isn't actually getting any closer. She growls in frustration before standing on a large rock and jumping towards the fire. She is sailing through the air for only a second before impact. Her eyes blink and she is laying flat on Hatter, who is blinking dazedly at her and clutching his head. Confused and feeling a very sharp pain on her forehead, she rubs at her head and is about to ask Hatter what happened when he beats her to the punch.

"Blimey, that'll leave a mark. I heard ya screaming my name in your sleep. You sounded so afraid and so I tried to wake you, seems to me I might've been mistaken." He tries to laugh it off, but Alice was still laying on top of him, looking a little worse for the wear. He reaches his hands up to pull the curtain of soft brown hair away from her face, tucking it gently behind her ears, and then lets his hands drift down to rest on her lower back gently before asking. "You ok then?" Alice lets her hand drop from her forehead to rest on the ground near his head, mirroring her other arm and supporting her weight.

"I dreamed that I stepped away from camp and couldn't make it back. I could see the campfire, but when I ran towards it, it never got closer until I jumped at it. I think that's when I woke up and I jumped up and hit you. I'm sorry." She lifted one hand to trace his forehead, and then put it back, intent on lifting herself off of him, a blush clear on her cheeks. She managed to get into a sitting position before Hatter sat up as well, maintaining the illusion of intimacy, without actually touching,

"That's how I felt earlier about the path, seems like we're not getting any closer. There's gotta be something going on that we can't see." He looks around the clearing and noting nothing out of the ordinary stands up and suggests Alice get some sleep. He moves back to the saddle and gets comfortable, sitting his hat on his knee and resting his head against the tree. Alice watches him move, and settle in, then reclines back onto the saddle blanket near the fire, but she doesn't manage any sleep. After what seemed like only moments to Alice, Hatter clears his throat.

"You alright over there? You been tossing for 34 minutes now, do you need something?" Alice sits up and whips her head around to look at Hatter, still reclined comfortably, looking at her. She nods weakly.

"I'm fine, sorry to wake you." Hatter chuckles lightly.

"Alice, you're not fine. But that's ok as long as there's nothing I can do to make it better." Alice shoots him a dirty look, mostly covered by her hair.

"Not unless you can make it day and we can get going again. This place is giving me the creeps." Hatter smiles gently.

"Wonderlanders don't get feelings like that; I think it has something to do with us all being just a little mad to begin with. If it'll make you feel better, bring your blanket over here and settle in next to me. At least you know you'll be safe." Alice considers for a few moments, making Hatter rush to sound nonchalant. "It would also lessen the chance that I get shoved into the fire waking you up from future nightmares." He finishes with a smirk and Alice smiles guiltily. She stands and picks up her blanket, settling between Hatter's legs and spreads the blanket over them both. Alice is asleep very quickly and afterwards, Hatter falls asleep to Alice's rhythmic breathing and the smell of her skin.

Neither were plagued by nightmares for the rest of that night and when they woke, Alice steps away to take care of business and Hatter puts out the fire with dirt and then picks up the canteen. There is just enough for one person, but he knows Alice well enough to know she will insist they need to share it. Hatter figures that they will likely find a spring or some fruit along the way, so he should be fine for a while. When Alice returns, he lifts the canteen to his lips, but keeps his lips closed and swallows a few times. He then turns to Alice, using the back of his hand to wipe the stray water from his lips.

"You better finish the rest of this off; we've got a bit of a trek ahead of us." Alice smiles shyly, takes the canteen and finishes it all. Hatter then packs the empty canteen away. He folds up the saddle blanket, again the thickest part of the blanket behind the saddle. He finishes saddling Guinevere and then mounts, pulling Alice up onto the saddle in front of him. He wraps one arm around her waist, as the other one grips the reins.

Smiling just a little as she leans into him, he digs his heels gently into Guinevere's sides to start them off. This time Hatter opts not to stay along the ledge, just heading as far as they can in the direction the path should stem from. Hatter is hoping that their new path, the direct path through the middle of the forest will find them near some stream or spring or even another edible berry bush. Hatter gets a whiff of his lovely oyster's skin every so often as he breathes. It's pure torture for him to be pressed up against her so when his posture begins to shift every few minutes to keep his lower regions from making themselves known, Alice mistakes his squirming for discomfort. She insists that she ride behind him for a stretch, so they stop and switch places. Hatter helps her up behind him and pulls her arms around to cross over his waist.

"You should try to settle as much weight as you can on me; it'll be easier on you and the horse." They travel for an hour before the cover of trees break and they are faced with a small clearing and a cliff face. Hatter turns the horse towards where the path should be, but this leaves Alice with nothing to concentrate on but the ledge and how close they are to plummeting to their deaths. Hatter can feel her shaking slightly, so he opts to stop the horse in the clearing, dismount with Alice and walk with her towards where the path should be. The horse follows behind them for the time being.

Hatter walks with Alice, his entire right arm being held by both of Alice's arms as they slowly walk through the forest, Hatter near enough to the edge to watch for the path, but not so near to make Alice more nervous. Guinevere is pleased to follow them quietly, nibbling on the grass here and there as they walk. Hatter doesn't make idle chatter with Alice, but uses his left arm to stroke her arms gently as they walk in what is supposed to be a comforting manner. Alice is in fact distracted by his ministrations and thinking less about the edge, more about Hatter. It isn't long before Hatter spots a path beginning ahead of them. Hatter makes Alice mount behind him again and they ride the horse the rest of the way. Hatter is still drawing random lines on Alice's arms as they ride to try to calm her. Alice keeps her head tucked into Hatter's back, taking deep breaths of Hatter's spicy leather smell. Hatter could just make out the smell of a fire nearby and heads in that direction once they get to the canyon floor.


	5. Chapter 5

**D.- This one is dedicated to AngelBaby214, my newest reviewer! I hope you like this chapter as much as you liked the last. Keep up your reviews guys, it inspires me to post more of the story. And this one, while correcting it, I had to redo a huge part of it, it upped the word count by at least 500 words. I can't tell you how even the smallest review makes me want to write more, fill in more detail, make sure it's as perfect as I can make it for you. Hope you like it!**

Jack sleeps late into the morning, a byproduct of racing through the night to get back here. When he wakes up, it is to the sight of Hatter riding a chestnut mare along the desert floor just outside his camp. He is just awake enough to sneer at him, to which Hatter removes his hat, mock-bows over it and exclaims loudly.

"Hullo there Prinny!" Jack stands up and brushes himself off. He notices Alice peeking around Hatter and moves to help Alice off the horse. Hatter puts his hat back on and rolls his eyes as Jack checks Alice for injuries.

"Are you ok Alice? You're not hurt are you?" Hatter bristles at the implication that he would let harm come to Alice, but keeps his tongue as he slides off the horse smoothly, patting Guinevere's neck. Alice, however, did not let it slide.

"I am perfectly fine, thanks completely to Hatter. Without him, I'd still be racing around in that nightmare of a forest on a runaway horse. You never have to worry about me when I'm with Hatter." Hatter turns his face a little as a smile breaks onto his face, his eyes almost tearing up from Alice's praise. Alice pulls away from Jack's arms to stand facing both men. Jack rolls his eyes before dusting off his sleeve and extending his hand in thanks while speaking in a disinterested tone.

"It seems thanks are in order for keeping Alice safe, sir. I am indeed most grateful for your vigilance." Hatter just cocks his head to the side and raises an eyebrow as if to say 'you don't want to shake my hand anymore than I want to shake yours, now put that hand away' The Prince lets his hand fall as Hatter adjusts his hat a little, feeling uncomfortable under Alice's semi-glare. He sighs before replying to the sentiment.

"I didn't do it for you, Prinny, Alice needed me." Jack, tired of the quibbling, turns to Alice, grabbing her hand and leading her to his horse. Alice, in blind reaction, reaches out to grab Hatter's arm. When Jack feels the extra resistance and looks back, his heart is pained by Alice's brutal grip of Hatter's arm and her wide, frightened eyes. Jack releases her and speaks to her, gently and slowly.

"I was simply leading you to my horse Alice, we'd best be off quickly. I don't know how long Caterpillar can keep your father hidden before he's found and returned to the queen." Alice's grip loosens a little on Hatter's arm, but she doesn't let go.

"I'd rather go on Hatter's horse. After the runaway yesterday, I'm just not comfortable with a strange horse." Jack smiles gently then reaches for her face to brush her hair behind her ear. Hatter stiffens minutely but says nothing. Jack takes her hand gently and raises it to his lips.

"I'll keep you safe Alice, my horse may be strange to you, but he's as gentle as they come. Besides, Hatter can't go where we're going love; it's the ultimate resistance secret." Hatter bristles again, his cheek sucking in as he bites down on the inside to keep from screaming at this stupidity. Jack misinterprets his reaction for defeat, prompting him to continue. "Alice, the meeting had to be moved. Mad March was closing in on the Hospital of Dreams, following the brave men who took your father from the Queen. If they had returned him to the Casino, not only would we not be able to get to your father again, but the men that got him out the first time would all have been killed. We had to hide him in the only place the Queen couldn't find, the Great Library." Jack turns to face Hatter now. "I'm sorry but we can't run the risk of you being apprehended for one of your little scams and them getting the location out of you. You understand don't you?" Hatter finally loses his cool and is letting his anger flow into his trusty right hand sledgehammer and he fully intends to use it, damn the consequences, but again Alice leaps to his defense first.

"Jack, he already knows the location of the great library. He brought me there at first when I escaped from the scarab. I've been inside the library, I've seen the refugees and the books and the mad man running the show, Dodo. He tried to shoot me! I'm just lucky that Hatter was standing in front of me and that he was wearing body armor so that he could help me get to safety here in the forest, to save me from that Jabbermonkey creature, and those weird doctors in the torture room, and the casino and then contact Caterpillar for help. Hatter is the one who jumped over that ledge to come and save me from the runaway horse, and that maze like forest. Before you go assuming the worst about Hatter, you should ask him first!" Jack lifted his hands in surrender, a dumbfounded look stuck on his once handsome face.

Hatter stands, just as shocked at Alice's display, until she steps back to take his hand and leads him back to Guinevere. Hatter climbs up, then before Jack could reach them to help her up, he leans down and grips her around the waist, pulling her up in front of him, sidesaddle across his thighs, locking his arms around her to grip the reins. When she looks into his eyes, he smiles and mumbles something about resting while he and Jack made their way to the Library. She smiles a small, grateful smile and leans into him as Hatter leads Guinevere past Jack's little camp, leaving Jack to catch up or stay behind. Hatter is beyond caring for anything but the lady in his arms. As quietly as she could, Alice whispers to Hatter.

"I'm sorry for volunteering you to take me to the Library, I just feel safer with you. I don't know how but somehow we'll get you to safety in the city before I continue on with Jack to the library." Hatter's heart constricted in his chest at her words.

"Get me to safety!" His outburst catches Jack eye, having mounted and plodding quietly along behind them. Jack rushes his horse to catch up, riding just slightly behind them, so he can read Alice's lips to catch the drift of their conversation. Hatter moves his face in closer to Alice's ear, whispering gently, although to Alice, it might as well have been nuzzling her. It was hard for her to keep her attention focused on Hatter, but she does hear him as he finishes his little tirade. "- and also Alice, you know I can't keep you safe from somewhere else. I'll be fine if I go with you, I-" Alice pinches him gently to silence him before Jack hears his voice rising again.

"The resistance said I should come alone, and you might be hurt before we have a chance to explain to Dodo. I won't take that risk. Please Hatter, as soon as we've talked to Dodo and Caterpillar, my father and I will come to you. You know where we'll be, safe from the suits; you need to focus on hiding out and staying safe until we meet again." Alice straightens herself up and looks him in the eyes. "Promise me you'll stay safe Hatter." Hatter opens and closes his mouth, clearly about to argue then stopping that train of thought. He looks pensive a moment and Alice is sure he's looking for a loop hole to exploit. With a deep breath, Hatter nods and curls her back into his arms.

"I promise. You should rest up now then, before we get to town."

Alice doesn't sleep, instead she watches from hooded eyelids as Jack watches her and Hatter riding. He is visibly upset, obviously very jealous of her closeness with Hatter, but as Alice contemplates her situation, she finds that even though there is a small amount of pity stored up for his forlorn posture, she doesn't feel any romantic feelings for him. She gets another little breath of pure Hatter, Tea leaves and leather with a hint of something she couldn't name. She sighs softly and then notices Jack stiffen angrily. Alice, feeling defensive, opens her eyes, sits up a little straighter in the saddle, maneuvering her head to rest on Hatter's shoulder so he can still see where they were going. It isn't that he needed to pay too close attention, they are crossing a big, vast plane of shrubs, nothing but short little knee-high shrubs that blend into the ground for what looked like miles. She looks over at Jack and steels her nerves before asking.

"Who's the Duchess?" Hatter decides this is a conversation he has no part of so he keeps facing the road, ignoring all talk around him, careful to keep his features as stoic as possible.

"My mother's creature. An arrangement. I have no feelings for her, nor her for me." He pauses, eyeing Alice and Hatter so cuddled up together. "My heart belongs to you completely, you believe that don't you?" Alice makes herself smile a small smile of understanding, while her hand tightens unconsciously on Hatter's thigh. Hatter just barely manages to suppress the smile. Not one of the riders notice the occasional glinting in the hills behind them.

When they reach the city itself, Alice briefly remembers why she hates Wonderland so much. Hatter notices her discomfort and opts to dismount, helping Alice down as well. He positions himself so that Alice is nearest to the building, and he is holding her hand. He drags the horse's lead in the other hand, leaving Jack behind them. Alice casts a glance back at Jack, who gives her a quizzical glance, but Alice doesn't explain, she just wraps her other arm around Hatter's left arm and lets him lead her around the bends.

They had only turned around the corner when Hatter spotted an old shack. Being near his tea shop, he'd seen it before and he knows it is abandoned. He motions to Jack and they lead the horses into it. Jack is pulling a canteen out of his bags for a drink when Hatter pulls Alice aside quickly to explain that he will stay here, in the abandoned shack until she comes back for the horses. She nods in understanding and removing his hand from her arm gently, she squeezes his hand before turning back to Jack.

Having finished taking his drink, Jack puts his water away without offering any to Alice. She just smiles a half-hearted 'Where to?" smile. Jack takes her hand, walks to the door and checks that no one is coming. Alice casts a look at Hatter, one so full of all different emotions that he can't decipher any of them for sure. Just as he was about to smile bravely back at her, she is pulled out of the shack. Hatter leaps to the door to see Jack leading her around the bends and walkways, pulling her quickly along the ledges, which broke Hatter's heart.

Alice and Jack make record time to the Library bus door, but Alice is breathing quite heavily, her panic setting in now that she has a second to think about it. Jack knocks on the door and initiates the conversation about the library book, but he had forgotten the answer to the crocodile riddle. Alice remembers the strange and funny line, but only because she remembers the embarrassed look on Hatter's face when he had said it.

"He pours water from the Nile on every golden scale." She smiles to herself and Duck tries to look over at her, but is unable to see through his peep hole. He opens the door and she greets Duck, sitting down quickly, Jack marvels at her but the shudder of the bus knocks him into Duck, who is not inclined to be nice because he almost recognizes Alice so he shoves Jack off at Alice. She catches him and helps him to stand. When the bus shudders once, Alice stops Jack from moving, waiting for the next jarring thud of the bus reaching it's landing. Finally, she stands up and Jack motions her to the door of the bus, just as Hatter had once done. At least this time she knows there are going to be guns on her, so she stays calm as she walks to the steps. Owl does indeed greet her with a gun, but she just smiles and says:

"Hello Owl. Hatter sends his regards, and surely some comforts once we've cleared up this mess with Dodo. Could you point me in Caterpillar's direction?" Owl looks at Duck, who seems perplexed and unsure but Jack pushes his gun away from Alice's collarbone and ushers her forward, past Owl. Owl stops her just before they get to the staircase.

"Hatter's alright then?" A small sigh of relief before worry once more creases her brow. "Dodo won't be pleased to hear it." Alice smirks

"If you two don't tell him, how would he know?" Owl smiled a genuine smile, her affection for the young smuggler showing in her hugely magnified eyes. She pulls her gun close to her chest, almost in a hug as she stepped back into Duck, who lays a hand on her shoulder in support. Jack then ushers Alice along, down the stairs to the refugee area. A few twists around some bookshelves lead Alice and Jack to find the 'Mysteries of the Occult Section' door. Jack knocks three times, and then lets himself in, closing the door behind Alice..


	6. Chapter 6

**D.- Thank you so much ****CupofTeaforAliceandHatter, who has really made an amazing effort to comment on every chapter thus far, including some very nice words about the chemistry I managed to convey between Alice and Hatter. I was so worried that the emotion I was working towards wasn't coming through. For being such a great reviewer, here's a little extra chapter for you all! Thanks again CupofTea!**

There in the back of the almost completely empty room sat a man, shrouded in smoke with a small table and a single hanging light above him. He looks up as Jack enters.

"Do you have the ring?" Jack reaches to pull it out of his pocket.

"Yes, I-" The man holds up a hand to stop him.

"No, no, should the moment arise I must be able to swear, under oath that I have never laid eyes on it. Ask her to come closer." Jack motions her towards to smoke shrouded man, then guides her closer with his hand on the small of her back. Alice looks from the weird old man to Jack as she almost stumbles, anger flashing in her eyes before the unknown man speaks up. "Hmm, she's not as tall as I imagined. Ask her if she's scared." Before Jack could say anything, Alice replies.

"You can ask me yourself, you know, I'm right here." Caterpillar cuts to the chase.

"When did you last see your father?" Alice blinks at the sudden change of topic but blurts out her response anyway.

"When I was ten years old." She takes a calming breath to stave off the tears that are threatening to fall. "Where is he?" Caterpillar turns to his table and takes a hit from his hookah. Alice looks over at Jack, who motions his lungs being compressed. Alice isn't really sure she gets it, but when the man speaks up again, she listens carefully.

"Your father is a very difficult man to reach. We've been tracking him for a while now, but never got close enough. And that's where you come in. When you first met jack, did you think it was a happy accident, the fickle finger of fate?" Alice can almost feel the cold finger of dread sliding down her back. She shivers minutely before replying in an almost steady voice.

"Wasn't it?" Caterpillar takes another puff from his hookah and motions to the door they entered. When he stands and walks ahead of them through the door, they are in a different room, not the maze of book stacks she had navigated to reach the room. Caterpillar leads her through the hallway, with large glass covered rooms along the side that resembled a museum exhibit. Caterpillar explains that the people in isolation are being detoxed from the emotion teas and that they must be very careful because the wrong emotions mixed in the wrong way would be a total emotional overload. They come around the corner of the corridor and Alice squints against the light to find they are now outside. Alice instinctually knows that they aren't anywhere near the Great Library anymore. She turns to Jack.

"Where are we now?" Jack motions to the building beside them. "That's the Hospital of Dreams. There is a direct temporal shift that leads from the Mystical Room to the Hospital where Caterpillar treats patients." This prompts Caterpillar to speak again.

"Oysters, your people are contaminating our world. They have to go back, dead or alive."

"But what does my father have to do with that?" Alice is tired of getting the runaround and her voice is by no means polite anymore, but Caterpillar is unfazed by her anger.

"Our undercover operatives smuggled him here yesterday, brave men they are, and since you could not be here, we had to subdue him and hide him. Here, among his own patients in the Hospital of Dreams, he waits for you to help him. But I must warn you, he's not the man you knew. He's…how can I put it? Stuck. We're hoping that you can help clear away his cobwebs."

"I don't understand." Alice still feels lost, like nothing was measuring up, things aren't going to balance out in the end. Jack takes her hand in his, sensing her confusion and fear, and wanting to help but Alice pulls hers away almost as suddenly. It's Jack who speaks up, making her look into his eyes.

"I came to your world to find you, Alice, because we need your help." Alice hears the drone of Caterpillar's voice, but can't make out his words over the rushing in her ears. She can hear all the times she shared with Jack in clear detail all at once and her face crumples in pain.

"So everything we had was a lie? It was about my dad?" Jack reaches for her hand but she pulls it back before he makes contact.

"It wasn't an act Alice, I really do love you but you have to understand your father holds the key to our futur-" Alice wraps her arms around herself, if only to stop the angry tremors taking over her body. She wishes, not for the first time, that Hatter was here with her. He'd make them stop talking, he'd let her catch her breath under the weight of all these new facts. Her anger at Jack bubbles over in a torrent of angry yelling.

"I don't believe this. So you have been lying to me this entire time?" Caterpillar's monotone voice chimed in, trying to play the devil's advocate.

"Would you have believed him if he told you the truth?" Alice, too upset to hear such a dreary voice of reason reacts on pure anger.

"I DON'T KNOW! Maybe!" was her voluble reply. Jack speaks up again, making her already light head spin back to face him.

"You're right, I should have been more honest but I can't turn back the clock. Please Alice, will you help us?" He reaches forward and takes both her upper arms in his hands, pulling her forward slightly in an act of desperation. "Alice our world depends on it."

Caterpillar makes a little cough and begins to walk along the side of the building again, entering one door and coming out another simultaneously a story higher. Alice looks to the ground that seemed to end a few feet in front of her and backed away from the edge a few steps. She then watches Caterpillar hit a button which extends the ground another 20 feet, and before the ground was really stable, she could just make out her father standing at the other end of the platform with two people dressed similarly.

She runs forward to meet him, uncaring if Caterpillar or Jack followed, or if they jump off the edge. She had finally found her father. But her father doesn't know her, doesn't recognize her and nothing she says seems to make an impact for more than a second. When she mentions the little yellow house, she thinks for a second that he remembers the perfectly white shutters on their windows, or little patch of catnip they had planted for Dinah in the corner of her mom's flower bed, but she's disappointed when he doesn't. When she mentions her mom, their cat, his watch, all these things seem to bring him around for a second, and then he shuts them out again. She is breaking down, her hopes destroyed, her guilt for being too late to save him crippling her as she fastens his watch around his wrist. Even if he never really used it, it belongs to him.

She is just about to turn to Jack and ask to leave when shots ring out and Mad March steps into the square. Alice feels a jolt of hope when her dad shields her instinctively, but the precarious situation becomes even more so when he then explains to the Ten of clubs about Jack making up the story that Alice was his daughter. Ten approaches Jack and warns him that he is breaking his mother's heart. When Ten proclaims the end of the resistance because they have finally captured the elusive Caterpillar, they are all shocked when Caterpillar simply swallows a disappearing mushroom and vanishes. Mad March approaches Alice and asks her where to find Hatter. She is stoic as she replies.

"I don't know."

March orders the suits to take her to the Casino for execution. Alice's first thought is that she wouldn't get to see Hatter again after all. Her second thought is that she was glad Hatter hadn't come.

Hatter had indeed stayed in the shack, with the two horses, as he had promised but when he hears the familiar strains of "Hey Nonny" being sung slightly off key, he steps out of the shack and follows the voice carefully a few walkways over, almost to the Hospital of Dreams where he meets Charlie, plodding along on his horse.

"Charlie?" He motions Charlie to bring the horse around the corner, over to the shack.

"Harbinger!" Charlie guides his horse to the side of the building but just as he turns the corner, out of view of the Hospital, they hear Alice. Hatter is sure she shouted what sounded like "Watch it!" Charlie doesn't get the chance to dismount before Hatter notices that the suits are headed in the direction of the shed. Grabbing the horse's lead, Hatter runs with it over to the far side of the shed while talking to Charlie.

"We need to rescue Alice. I'll blast in, make a big distraction, and then you ride in and grab Alice and ride away. Just keep riding until you get back home. Got it?" Charlie, who is still glancing over his shoulder, watching for Mad March and his men, didn't really hear Hatter, but repeats the few words he did hear as Hatter pulls the Prince's horse out of the shack. He is not going to risk Guinevere for such a dangerous plan. When he has both horses in position, he asks Charlie for his sword, and then mounts. Charlie hands over his sword, but makes a few muttering sounds of general discomfort. Hatter ignores him and turns to face the bottleneck, not seeing that Charlie is visibly upset and feeling out of his depth.

When Mad March and his cronies come around the corner with Alice and the Prince, Hatter looks back and signals to Charlie. With one final cry, he charges forward, taking out two suits before they manage to grab his arms. He can hear Alice screaming his name and he wants nothing more than to spontaneously combust every enemy nearby and reassure her that she'd be safe, but when he calls out for Charlie to come save her, nothing happens. He looks over as the suits pull him down, landing hard and wrenching a cry of pain from his lips, which upsets Alice even more. Charlie has chosen to made a break for it, and is rapidly disappearing on the horizon.

Suits begin to press him down, kicking and stepping on him in a bid to assist the men physically holding him down. Alice continues to scream at them to get off of him and every time he hears her scream his name, his heart bleeds a little. He is sore and unable to save Alice and feeling a total failure, but none of those feelings outweigh the total anger and fear that fill him when he is face to face with what he recently realized was none other than the Mad March hare, the Queen's assassin.

Hatter is lifted off the ground by two suits, and each of the three prisoners are bound, from their wrists down to their elbows, forced to walk towards the scarab at the end of the ledge. Alice's eyes grow wide and she seeks out Hatter's eyes, panic setting in when she sees that she'll have to step over a small gap and into a big floating machine. Hatter steps on first and stays with his legs straddling the gap while Alice crosses. This did not go unnoticed by the suits who reach forward to shove him in, but as soon as Alice steps onto the scarab, Hatter steps in as well. Hatter is then thrown into the room, landing on his butt and Alice and Jack are nudged in none too gently, but manage to keep their footing. Two suits are left outside to guard the door. Alice rushes to Hatter's side, crawling into his lap and mumbling how much of an idiot he was for getting himself caught when he promised not to. She is also mumbling into his shirt about how happy she is that she gets to see him again before they are killed. Hatter raises his bound arms, nudging her to get her to look at him.

"Alice, I won't let you die. You've got to go home and see your mum and do oyster things and teach other oyster people how to do that flippy thing you do. You can't die over here luv, I won't let it happen." Jack feels like an intruder, watching these two people together, but he feels the need to comment.

"I can buy you some time. I am going to try to convince my mother that if Alice killed, Carpenter will suddenly remember his daughter and she'll have no one to make her teas. I'm going to push for banishment from Wonderland, which will essentially send her home, unharmed. My father will back me, and perhaps we can stall the banishment long enough for you to escape and get to her before they load her in the scarab and take her away to the mirror. I figure on perhaps 25 minutes total from the time we're separated, so do hurry up and get yourself out of whatever prison they pick for you." Alice looks at Jack then, and mouths a silent 'thank you' but when the word prison registers to her, she looks back at Hatter and pressed into him one last time as they feel the scarab motors power down. Jack reaches his arms down to help Alice up, the movements awkward because of their unusual arm restraints. Hatter assists from his sitting position as best he can as Jack provides any advice to help them out.

"You can't be seen snuggling, it will give Mad March something that he can use against Hatter. You have to be strong now, both of you." Alice takes hold of his arms with her hands and between his pulling and Hatters pushing, they manage to get her up from her position on top of Hatter. Hatter then stands and walks to the door with them. Before it opens, both Hatter and Jack have the exact same thought.

'I love you Alice.'


	7. Chapter 7

**D.- This one is for my new reviewer crazycookBekah! You asked for more, so here it is! **

The doors open to an army of suits. Jack is led away by a few suits, his posture regal and no one dared to actually touch him. Four more suits waited for Alice, two reaching for either arm and pulling Alice out of the scarab, walk her towards the elevators. Only Mad March and 1 other suit are left waiting for Hatter. They don't immediately leave the scarab room, instead Mad March enters the room, leaving the suit standing guard just outside the door. Hatter keeps his head high and doesn't even try to look at the ceramic head. He's not certain he'll look intimidating staring at something with no eyes for him to stare into.

Hatter feels the movement in the air but can't dodge March's fists as they fly to meet first his temple, disorienting him, and when he turns to face his attacker, he gets a face full of hits. Mad March isn't even attempting to ask any questions, he just wants to have some revenge for their long and painful past. Hatter knows that the only question left to ask that the Queen would have any interest in is the location of the Great Library. Hatter has sworn not to let the secret out so he reaches deep into his head, into his every conscious thought and replaces all thoughts of the library, any memory of the library with riddles. When the memories are triggered, he'll just blurt out riddles until March tires of him.

March grabs his tied arms and spins him around twice like they were playing a children's game. Hatter has to close his eyes or risk vomiting and doesn't see that March is drawing him closer to the wall. When March finally lets him go, he is already only inches from the wall so he loses no momentum and the right side of his head, already tender from the first wicked punch to his temple, hits the wall at breakneck speed. When Hatter falls back onto the floor, only barely conscious, March kicks Hatter in the face, hitting him square in the right eye socket, immediately bruising tissue and bursting blood vessels in his eye. Then March whispers the last words Hatter hears before falling unconscious.

"Ya know, I never felt right hittin a gurl, wonda what else I can do ta make her scream?"

Alice is placed in a bubble, a giant bubble with a steel frame and hard plastic walls and though she can hear everything that is being said outside the bubble, she is fairly certain people outside can't hear her. Shortly after they began to roll her down the hall, forcing her to walk along like a hamster in it's wheel, she requests water and a bathroom visit and they make no effort to accommodate her. They just continue to roll her along, two suits arranging themselves around her round prison to roll her this way and that. She stumbles once and bangs her recently released arm against the metal cage of the ball. They keep rolling, oblivious to her fall, deaf to her cry of pain, so she hurries to get up and try to keep up until they enter the throne room.

She is rolled into a corner and she can clearly see the Queen and King as well as her father standing with some suits and then just inside the door is the Duchess, still wearing little to nothing. They lead Jack, in proper cuffs into the room, keeping him between her and Duchess. She can hear her father telling the Queen what a good actress she was, how he has no family and never had. She feels her heart drop to her feet when the Queen tells him that she is going to be executed and he doesn't blink, asking why he should care.

When her father leaves the room, and the Queen calls for her beheading, Jack pleads his case, just as he said he would. The King does jump on the banishing bandwagon immediately, like Jack supposed he would, but the Queen hardly seems to be swayed until they speak again, quieter. The Queen then announces that she will be banished and her son the traitor will be killed at dawn. Alice looks over at Jack, standing stoic and strong but it's the terrified look on Duchess's face that draws her attention. As they lead Jack out, Alice watches Duchess's posture and as soon as he's gone from her sight, she stands a little straighter, and her eyes stare forward, dead.

When Alice is released from the bubble and her little group of suit escorts grab her, they lead her past the Duchess. Alice forces an apologetic smile but she is unsure if the Duchess sees. When the large doors close behind her, Alice can only pray that Hatter fares as well as her.

Hatter is in a room that made him queasy. The walls are moving; bright green globs of moving goop that make him feel like he is swaying with them, but he knows he is standing still. The concentration he uses to keep from being ill makes him lose track of time and makes him think only of what is being done to him. Having already been pretty beat up and in fact bleeding when he arrived, the horrible Doctors, Dee and Dum tie him into a chair, and proceeded to take turns. Dee likes to cut him with a tiny scalpel. Little tiny paper cuts through his shirt, along his shoulders and down his chest, no doubt hundreds of them. Dum prefers to poke him with an electric cattle prod, for longer and longer each time, in a lot of different places, then he revisits them all again, to make doubly sure he is burned.

Hatter is stoic and quiet at first, but after the first couple dozen cuts , he starts hissing at each cut. After the first few shocks, he can't help his screams of agony. He tries to focus on something else, anything in his mind that is pleasant enough to distract him, but all he can think of is his Alice. In his mind, all his thoughts of Alice turn to scenes of her torture at the hands of Mad March. Hatter takes a breath when the doctors switch places again and he refocuses his attention. Hatter knows that he has to get out, to get to Alice before they force her back to her own world for good and he never sees her again.

It is during this last thought and a particularly long and painful prod that Mad March comes in. Seeing the assassin before him, Hatter takes a few deep centering breaths, trying to concentrate on a particular glob in the background where March appeared from. When March commands the Doctors to leave them, Hatter focuses harder. March may have had the upper hand in the scarab, but he is determined to get free, destroy this man for threatening his Alice, and then find her and rescue her. Hatter knows that March will either kill him or accidentally set him free. Hatter has to be prepared for the attacks. He hears the Doctors leave to his left, but continues to stare at nothing, his teeth gritted tightly against his physical pain and his worry for Alice.

Mad March takes a minute to study his old friend in his chair. His bindings are secure and his body is beaten down, but his eyes are still very much afire. He moves to stand right in front of Hatter, almost leaning into him as he tells him horrible things.

"Did you even know she's a screama? She wasn't very open to it at first, but I convinced her suits ta let me use her before they send her back." Hatter's eyes fill with hate as he looks up at the white rabbit head, and he spits in his face.

"I'll kill you for that March." March ignores the spit, and continues his mental assault.

"She took it like a champ at first, no amount o' grabbin at her made her do more than flinch. When I took out my knife, she tried to pull out of the suits' grasp, but the four o' them held her down." Hatter looks away, his eyes closing in pain and March swings a fist into his face. "Pay attention here Hatta, I'm not even halfway done ma story yet." His voice was grating on Hatter's nerves and he tried to block out the words. "I think she liked a little knife play. I could smell her fear when I slid ma dagga down her neck and she'd hold real still like. I cut those tights in all da right places and let the suits go ta town. She'll be lucky if she can walk to da mirror now." Hatter begins shaking as he hears the words he's so desperately trying to ignore. His Alice had suffered, and the only reason is because March figured out that she means something to him. When Mad March questions him about the Great Library, his mental defenses kick in and he begins spouting riddles and randomness, designed to protect the information.

"Why is a raven like a writing desk? The clockworks not ticking properly. There may be crumbs in the butter…" The change of topic refocuses Hatter on his escape. Hatter knows that is all the Queen would want to know from him and that March is probably about to try to kill him. Hatter just glares at his big porcelain head, daring him with his thoughts to do something, anything that Hatter could use. Hatter sees March pull out a thin knife and then lunge toward Hatter, who kicks his chair back onto its back and then Hatter kicks Mad March square in the chest, forcing him away for a moment.

Hatter takes this chance to slide his feet over the top of the chair, then use it as a shield. He watches the first swing, and then the second, but anticipates the third and swings his hand into its path to cut the ropes holding his right hand free. Flexing and ignoring the pain of the cut, he releases one rage filled sledgehammer punch that has Mad March's cookie jar head in pieces at his feet. Ignoring the gash on his wrist, he scrambles over to the knife, which he uses to free himself and then plunges it into March's chest, in the vicinity of his heart to be sure that he never comes back or ever threatens his Alice again. He stands up, spits one final time on March's suit then walks in the general area the twins left in.

When he exits the room quietly, he finds both twins are sitting casually in a break room to the left of the hallway and that his things are laying discarded in a pile just to his right. Slipping on his coat gingerly and scooping his hat onto his head, Hatter looks around, watching for suits. Now that he is free of that room, he can tell that less than a half hour had passed, so he thinks he might be just in time to save Alice.

Alice was in fact en route to the Looking glass as he escaped, standing up front between four suits and a only the pilot and a window in front of her. Upon landing they usher her down the stairs to the Looking Glass Hall and the Ten of Clubs insists that she be sent through immediately. The technician tells them to wait, a new raiding party is returning with fresh oysters. Three more suits approach the mirror and inform the technician that the Queen wants the ring back now. They take it and leave up the stairs. Alice's heart bleeds a little for each person to come through. She watches them get put to sleep with a little spray of a vaporizer, but she actually speaks up when two little girls are brought through.

She quickly dispatches the four suits that were her escort, and then races up the stairs after the three men with the ring. Two escape on flamingos, but she fights the third right off the edge and then takes his flamingo. After much personal pep talking, and a brief memory of how easy it was with Hatter, Alice pushes the button and soars after the two with the ring. Not long after her departure, they notice she is following and split up, the man with the ring continuing straight while the other circles back to get behind Alice, intent on shooting her down. Alice only falters once and a light hit to her flamingo sends her down into the forest. Alice avoids a lot of trees and she manages to pull herself back up just as her follower has turned back to circle the supposed crash site again. She flies back to the Casino and crash lands the flamingo onto a large ledge, jumping off and flattening herself into a crevice, watching the flamingo skid to a stop along the concrete ledge.

A handful of suits ran out of the door where moments before Alice flew past and crashed her flamingo, but there was no way Alice could have known yet that those suits were too busy to look for her. They have a war to go fight against what looks to be knights raised from the dead and they are racing to their own flamingoes to go drop bombs over the creatures. Alice runs into the building when they leave her sight and comes upon the very sight that had sent the Queen into panic. She can see all the knights' bodies standing outside in a circle around the casino, but she knows them to be dead. She pieces together very quickly that Charlie has indeed been a busy boy. Hearing some footsteps and someone call out after her, she turns and runs as fast as she can in the opposite direction.


	8. Chapter 8

**D.- Hey guys and gals! This one is for balseirocharmed, who hopes I am going to update soon. As you can see, I will. I update every time someone new reviews. I have approximately 33 chapters in this story, already typed, just waiting for a proof read. When I get a new review, which I check every time I get on my computer, I am just so pumped up and happy that I have to post a new one. When more than one person reviews, I post more than one chapter a day. Check back often and if you want a new chapter, send me a new reviewer!**

Somewhere in the Casino, a Prince is feeling the strain of his punishment. All the eyes, watching, gazing, even staring at him, it makes him so angry. He straightens his tie, and tries to keep still. He takes some deep breaths to calm himself and then when that fails, he runs his hands over his hair to make sure it is still in place. A short while later, all of his fidgeting and fussing can't restrain his anger. He stands from his chair, sliding it back a little with the quick force of standing so suddenly. He looks around, his whole body turning as he tries to make eye contact with each eye.

"I was doing the right thing, I was saving Wonderland! And instead of gratitude, I am being judged. What right have you to judge me? I am a Prince, who fought injustice on behalf of his people. What have you ever done!" He gets so upset that he throws his chair away, not caring that it disappears into the veil of eyes. He takes a deep breath as the eyes began to blink out. A cold wash of fear runs down his back. Jack couldn't help but wonder 'Is it dawn already? Is my life over so soon?'

The door opens on the now pitch black room and Jack raises his fists, preparing to do anything he could, use any lesson he had retained from his time in the dojo to defend himself when Duchess steps into the room. He doesn't immediately lower his fists, not that he would hit her, but she may have been sent in to try to pry some secret from him and he needs to be prepared to dodge an attack. Duchess's voice is a little frightened by the look in his eyes. All she can feel from him is fear and despair, his eyes guarded but pained.

"Easy Jack. I'm here to help you get out. We haven't got much time. I bribed the guards but it won't last long. Put on this disguise." She throws him a jacket, slides a hat on his head and begs him to follow her out. Jack stiffens in suspicion but her pleading eyes make it hard to say no. He pulls on the black trench coat and adjusts the ridiculous hat, even though they do nothing to hide his identity. Following the always scantily clad Duchess into the hall and around the corner, he suddenly stops her and pulls her behind a large pillar, his arms gripping her upper arms tightly to focus her attention.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?" Duchess looks afraid and her voice cracks as she speaks.

"Isn't it obvious Jack? I care about you, I always have." Jack shakes his head as his arms tighten on hers, unable to believe that Duchess, his mother's perfect little spy, has any kind of feeling for him other than disdain.

"Oh come on! You're working for my mother. You've always kept tabs on me for her, you've always done her bidding. Why the sudden change of heart Duchess? And don't tell me that you care for me. I won't be fooled." His tone is accusing and he shakes her by the arms as he speaks, but Duchess is on full defensive mode.

"I did what I had to do to survive! I-" Jack hears some men screaming "This way!" and panics, forcing Duchess across the hall to the first door he finds. Duchess uses her access code to get into the room, so he assumes that it requires high clearance and the suits won't be able to follow them in. Once inside, Duchess continues her train of thought.

"I never wanted to spy on you Jack, but I was only allowed to stay in the palace if your mother wanted me there. Otherwise, I was going to be sent back to my uncle's home. I couldn't go back Jack, so I had to play her game. I didn't want to tell on you, to betray you like that. You were the only person in this forsaken land that was nice to me when I arrived." Jack turned away from her, unwilling to watch her cry and fall victim to her charm. Looking around the room for the first time, he realizes they are hiding in a tea storage room. Undiluted teas line the walls, in thousands of tiny, clear vials, no bigger than his thumbnail. They are stored in cabinets with labels like 'Lust, Greed, Passion, Excitement and Clear Conscience.' He takes a deep breath before replying to Duchess.

"Save your tears Duchess, I won't fall for your lies just because you start leaking." Duchess stepped back a step, obviously hurt that he doesn't believe her, when she realizes where they are. She knows exactly what she's doing as she turns and strides across the room, a determined look in her eye. Jack hears her move, hears the slightest growl of frustration and has to look at her, see her expression. He sees her open a cabinet, pull out a vial and before he can voice a sound, she drinks it down. Stunned, Jack steps up to her, grabs the vial from her and closes the cabinet to read the label.

"Truth." He looks down at Duchess, a small grimace on her face from the undiluted taste of the vile drink. Absolute truth isn't always the easiest to swallow. She notices him staring intently at her, so she speaks up warily.

"I'm not sure how long it's going to take, but I won't be able to lie soon and when I tell you all this again, you'll know I can be honest." She turned and marched to the door. "We need to go now, if they saw us come in, they will surround this room and we'll be trapped." Jack walks over to her mindlessly, stunned that she would risk herself just to prove herself to him. Duchess carefully opens the door, and when she sees the hall is clear, she grabs Jack's hand and they race from the room.

Duchess tiptoes around, trying to avoid letting her heels click on the floors and Jack plays the part of defensive bodyguard well, casual touches to her hip to rush her along while he watches for guards or shielding her from view while she opens locked doorways leading to the scarab floor. He knocks a guard on his ass with a flip Alice would be proud that he remembered, and then a single shot to the face renders him unconscious. Jack assists Duchess over the fallen body and into a scarab where he takes off and heads into the forest to hide. Deep in his heart, he hopes that Alice and Hatter have made good their escape already as he steals a glance at Duchess, resting her head against the co-pilot head rest, clearly suffering from her tea.

Alice manages to run herself safely all the way to the Game Room. She barricades herself inside with all of the controlled oysters and their dealers. She climbs up onto the stage, scaring off the few dancers there and drawing the attention of the two suits. They raise their guns as she raises her hands. They motion her off the stage just in time for Hatter to appear, taking one out completely with one punch and as the second changes his aim to Hatter, Alice chops down on the hand holding the gun, giving Hatter enough time to knock the second one out too. Alice is so relieved to see him; she can't help but blurt out:

"Hatter! You're ok!" Hatter is already standing up from where he bent to collect the guns, checking that they had ammo and are armed He tucks one into the back of his pants and one into the front, just over his hip. Alice sees the extent of his bleeding and bruised face and neck. "Oh my God!" Hatter figures that she is upset by his looks.

"Oh it's alright, it's just a few cuts and bruises, I'm fine." He hardly has time to finish his sentence before she leaps at his neck, wrapping her arms around him, squeezing just a little too tight for Hatter. But any discomfort is immediately suppressed by the feel of Alice finally in his arms again. He hardly hears her mumble into his neck.

"I thought you were dead." But when she clutches him tighter, his only thought is spoken aloud.

"Oh God that feels good." He takes a deep breath of Alice, calmed that she seemed unharmed. "We should save that until we're safe." He suddenly remembers March's threat. He pulls Alice back, looks her over, no cuts or bruises or any marks.

"You are ok, aren't you? No...uhm…Unpleasant experiences?" Alice looks at him like he's grown another head, and out of sheer relief, he pulls her close again, right tight to his chest, and kisses her hair. "Thank god for that." Breaking away, Alice looks into his eyes, pained by the dark skin around his right eye, but speaks very clearly to him.

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you." Hatter, thrown off guard, blinks a few times before following that statement with the necessary question.

"Do you trust me now?" Alice can feel his hope, like a tangible cord pulling her spirits up a little. She hears the tiniest intake of breath and she keeps her serious stare as she answers.

"Completely." Hatter takes a deep, rewarding breath and almost sighs.

"Good. Follow me; I'm going to get us out of here." Alice grabs his hand before he could walk away.

"No." Hatter, frustrated by her admittance of trust but her refusal to listen, turns to look at her.

"No?" He looks at her expectantly.

"I have an idea; do you see anymore suits in here?" Alice gestures to the room. Hatter looks quickly, and replies to the negative, so Alice leads him to the only other door in the place. "Find something to seal this exit." Hatter grabs a wide shop broom and props it into the door handles. Hatter then looks to her for direction.

"It's just something that Caterpillar said. Mix the wrong emotions together the wrong way and it's an emotion overload. And Charlie said the Queen only wants to feel the good. We need to stir up some bad emotions." Alice reaches for the gun Hatter has tucked into the front of his pants, pulling it out quickly and walking past Hatter to the stage, while Hatter, shocked for a moment, watches her leave. When she climbs onto the stage, he runs over to a tall podium, pulling the second gun out and leaping up. They both shoot a few shots into the air, drawing the attention of the dealers, who raise their hands. Alice threatens the staff and tries valiantly to wake the humans from her position on the center stage. At the mention of the word families, some come around, but when they are all conscious and speaking, they are most upset by the fact that they can't walk away because they are grounded to the floor through their bare feet.

Their emotions begin influencing the readings so Carpenter takes notice. Hearing Alice call for the oysters to wake up repeatedly seems to trigger his memories, one in particular, that of his daughter, young and wearing a blue frilly dress crying for him to wake up, telling him he was late as he glances at his watch. The watch he is still wearing. He leaves the control room quickly, but being followed by a giant of a man, a man carrying a gun. This man stops him in the very next corridor, calling out to him by his true given name. When Robert turns around to face the giant man, he attacks quickly and reaches for the gun, twisting his arm this way and that, trying to keep the gun from facing him. When the gun goes off, Robert has to check that he isn't hit. He kicks the gun away from the man's hand and continues racing to the Game Room. It is some time before the man stands and painfully makes his way towards the gun, stumbling a little when he reaches down to retrieve it.

Alice's situation is going from bad to worse as the suits finally manage to break down the door. Alice leaps from the stage to hide behind a game table just as the suits open fire on her previous spot. Hatter, sensing her danger, begins to try to draw attention to himself by shooting at the shooters. He doesn't think to leave his platform right away, just aims to shoot the people shooting at his Alice. When they start firing back, Hatter dives over the rail and down to the floor, hiding behind his own gaming table. They continue to shoot at each other for another few seconds before Robert arrives, ordering them to put down their guns, under the guise that they are frightening the oysters.

"I'll deal with this." He says as he lowers his arms in a gesture to cease fire for the suits, who stop firing and close the door. Alice steps out from behind the table but raises her gun to aim at him as she calls out:

"What do you want?"

"Put the gun down. It's me Alice, it's your father." Hatter's eyes blow up the size of dinner plates, but he crouches down and gets closer to Alice, preparing to jump in if her father does something rash. He is now behind the table that Alice had been hiding behind. Alice is shaking, her pent up anger at her father bubbling to the surface.

"You don't remember me. You don't remember anything." Robert worries his hands a moment, unsure how to convince his daughter that he now knows who she is. When he touches his watch, words flow from his lips.

"I-I do. Thanks to you, I remember everything." Alice's lip quiver as she speaks.

"I don't believe you. This is just another trick." She addresses the room. "You see this guy? He's the one who brought you here, He hooked you up, and when he's done with you…When he's done with you he'll get rid of you. Isn't that right? Daddy, Isn't that right?" Hatter silently cheers that she is finally learning some sense when it comes to trusting people because they 'used to be good' but he is also pained by the knowledge that Alice was hurting. He wishes he can step out and wrap his arms around her for support, but stays in his spot, ready to protect her. Robert decides to try a specific memory.

"It was a Sunday, and we'd just come back from the movies. You were wearing your yellow dress and those black shoes that always hurt your feet." He smiles briefly at the memory before continuing. "And Carol met us in the driveway, told us that Dinah had been hit by a car. And you ran into the yard and hid, and I came and found you, and held you for hours while you wept." He sighs "I should have known you the moment I saw you. I've been a fool Alice, I've missed so much, I've wasted so much time, Please forgive me." Alice bursts into tears and walks forward to be folded into her father's arms.

Hatter, unable to see her any longer, stands and turns to face them, but when he sees the door open, he raises his gun in defense. When the man takes aim at Alice and her father, Hatter lets loose four bullets, each hitting the new man in the chest. Alice and Robert jump apart, and Hatter notices with some satisfaction that Robert tries to shield her from where the shots came from. 'Better late than never.' He thinks to himself with a smile.


	9. Chapter 9

**D.- Hey everyone! Thanks again to everyone who reviews, but this one is for NewReader, whoever you are. I really appreciate the comment that this is well written. I like to think that my story is flowing well and the characters aren't too far out of character, but to hear from a reviewer just makes me want to post more! I'm a greedy little review hoarder, no lie, my hotmail account actually has a reviews section that I forward ALL my reviews, even so far back as the before the NC-17 ban. I keep them all, they inspire me to write more, to stick to the fandoms I love! Thanks again to you all, I hope this chapter lives up to it's predecessors. **

Up in the control room, all the different confused emotions the oysters are emitting, combined with the shock and fear of seeing a man killed before their eyes pushes the emotion tanks to begin shaking. A technician releases all the humans who stampede out the doors and out of the Casino. The shaking spreads to the very walls of the casino which makes even the most devoted suit, turn face and run to the nearest exit. Alice leaps at Hatter, hugging him tight. She almost screams her thanks, but he pulls her off, heading to the now empty door, opening it and ushering her and her father out of the Casino.

Elsewhere in the building, the Queen and her King are being asked to leave as well, but the King opts to stay, choosing death rather than continuing the lie that is his life. He would have given his wife anything, but she has never appreciated him, never respected him. He tells her as much and moves to sit comfortably on his throne for the last minutes of his life. He is remembering the joys in his life as the building collapses around him. His wedding day, his wedding night, his son's birth. These moments give him peace as his consciousness winks out.

After the entire Casino collapses, Alice, Hatter and Robert stand among the released humans in the grassy area surrounding the big pile of rubble that was the Casino. Robert sits himself down on a log to cough the dust out of his lungs then looks over to the now empty place in which the casino used to stand. Hatter, feeling the pain of his wounds increase as his adrenaline drops, seeks to soothe it in the best possible way.

"I don't suppose I could get that hug now, hmm?" He opens his arms to Alice, who is about to step forward when the Queen bursts into the clearing, surrounded by all her remaining suits. She immediately point at Alice with a shout.

"She's there! Get her!" Alice is defended by the humans she helped save. She shares a shocked but appreciative look with Hatter.

"Touch the lady and I'll shuffle your deck." The suits are stunned and the Queen tries again to command them.

"Don't just stand there idiots. Arrest her!" Alice takes advantage of the suits immobility to turn the suits against the Queen. Her anger and contempt for the foolish Queen is obvious in her stare and her voice as she replies.

"Take a good look at your Queen first, make sure she's really worth fighting for." The suits each turn and look at the Queen, some backing away from Alice completely to go stand idle with the rest of the Queen's entourage. The Queen becomes offended quickly.

"How dare you look at me! She's the one you should be looking at!" Alice steps forward, into the recently vacated spot of the closest suits. Hatter steps forward with her, his adrenaline and worry pushing his pain away again. He stands close enough to grab Alice's wrist and pull her behind him should something go down, but lets her have her say.

"I am not the problem here, you are. And it looks like everyone is waking up to that." The Queen tries to make her suits obey.

"Don't listen to her; she's just an insolent girl. I command you, OFF WITH HER HEAD!" Alice raises her voice to match the Queen's, never losing her authoritative presence she had practiced since they made her a sensei at the dojo.

"NO ONE is frightened of you anymore; you're just one of us now. Look around. No one is listening." The Queen steps forward to speak directly into Alice's face, her tone oozing menace. Hatter wants so badly to pull Alice back, but decides to let it play out. Alice could surely do that flippy thing to the Queen if things got rough.

"This is my Kingdom, and I am still Queen!" Alice, frustrated that the Queen just wasn't getting the hint, raises her voice again.

"Your power is gone!" Hearing the shouting must have brought Jack and Duchess to them, because they push through the Queen's entourage to the two women facing off. The Queen's relief is palpable.

"Jack! Thank heavens you're here. Get everyone to fall in line." Jack's jaw drops in an incredulous shock.

"Me? I'm disinclined to do anything for you, since you sentenced me to death!" The Queen tries to wave him off.

"Don't be so sensitive, I was just doing my job. Come on now and rally the troops!"

"No!" He takes a breath. "Mother, it's over." Alice waits a moment, expecting Jack to continue and when he doesn't, she holds out her hand.

"The ring." Is all the comment she makes, her arm steady and palm facing upwards. The Queen looks truly affronted.

"Are you mad? I'd sooner have you cut off my finger!" Alice smiles evilly.

"That can be arranged." Hatter looks over at the nearest suit, who happens to be the minister of clubs.

"Have you got a knife?" The man nods and pulls a switchblade from his pocket, handing it calmly to Hatter. "Thank you." Hatter then steps past Alice to reach the Queen, but Jack stops him. The flash of irritation for his interruption is erased when Jack adds:

"Make sure it's a clean cut, we don't want any blood on the ring." Hatter grunts to the affirmative, and then pops open the knife and steps forward again. The Queen hastens to pull off the ring and lay it in Alice's hand. Alice raises the ring straight up and although the humans don't really get it, they cheer for her anyway. The Queen is placed under arrest and Jack leads the suits in moving the humans to the Looking Glass by means of his scarab.

Alice stays behind, with Hatter and watches as her father makes every effort to help anyone who needs it. One of the many humans happened to be a priest, who calmly forgives him his sins, and expresses his gratitude that he is able to assist in freeing as many as he did. The two work diligently to take everyone's addresses as they remember them so that they can figure out where to send each of them home. Hatter is sitting on a fallen tree log, leaning his whole body back to lay as flat as possible on his back when Alice sits next to him, leans over him, one hand next to his head and touches his bruised forehead to trace the curve of his already crooked nose down to his spilt lip.

"Just what am I going to do with you Hatter?" She smiles, a genuine, only for him smile and Hatter forgets to breathe for a moment. When he remembers and has to gulp in the necessary air, he has a coughing fit, which really aggravates his wounds. He clutches his chest and side as he groans in pain. Alice, worried by his actions, reaches for his tie to remove it.

"Here, let me help you-" Her motions are cut off and her words die when he sits up suddenly, Alice flailing backwards to avoid collision. Hatter smiles sheepishly as he stands to take a deep and obviously very painful breath.

"I'm just out of breath. Got myself all beat up, too many bruises make it hard to breathe. Leave me be a minute, and I'll be fine." Alice pretends obedience, but moves over to go talk to a medic. Hatter reaches out quickly, ignoring his pain and grasps her wrist tightly. Alice turns back, shocked, and he releases her with a painful sigh.

"Some of those oysters need a lot of help. Leave the medics to do their duty. Not much they can do for bruises anyhow." He takes a few exaggerated breaths, trying to hide his wincing. "See? I just need to get back to my place and rest, I think." Alice had been promised use of the guest chambers in the Looking Glass Building, but chooses instead to go back to Hatter's and crash there, with him.

"You know, right now, all I want to do is curl up in bed and have a snooze. I approve your plan. Let's get you home then, shall we?" Hatter can't believe that she is going to let him go, but when he moves to leave, she just follows him. Jack catches up with them before they leave. Alice greets him half-heartedly and hardly slows down their pace as she tries to just usher Hatter past him, anxious to get him to his home and resting if it will help him.

"Hello Jack, Hatter and I are headed back into the city to stay at his place. Offer my room up to anyone who needs a bed. We'll be seeing yo-" Jack cuts her off by grabbing her arm, which she promptly shakes off, roughly. He still offers her his warning while she glares at him.

"Alice, it's not safe for someone from your world to be wandering around a tea house without a guard and I don't think that your father would appreciate you running off with some-" Hatter finally snaps.

"Some what Jack? Some bloke who cares about her? I think I've proven I have always had Alice's best interests at heart and that I am perfectly capable of looking after myself and Alice and anyone else who happens along. It just so happens that my suite is perfectly safe, completely able to lock anyone and everyone out at my command and is probably the only safe place in this forsaken kingdom for her. Now that you've got all these people to care for and I suspect a new respect for the lady who saved your arse, you need to mind your own business, leave mine and Alice's affairs alone."

Jack is shocked and watches as Hatter straightens himself as tall as he can and takes Alice's hand and leads her towards the scarab, intent on catching a ride with the oysters back to the Looking Glass Hall and then continuing on foot to the Tea House. Alice smiles appreciatively at him, wraps her arm around his lower back and follows him to the scarab waiting area.

Jack watches them go with a little pang of wistfulness, he might have been the one Alice cared for, if he hadn't lied to her. At least she was happy now, she'd get to help him and that was always something that struck him as special in Alice, her instinctive need to help people out of nothing but the kindness of her own heart. He wished that he would have someone so kind and loving to be his Queen. At the thought, his mind drifts over to the Duchess, and their last moments together. She had swallowed back that potion so that she might prove to him that she cared for him. He wonders, for the first time, if maybe he'd been mistaken and moves to go find the lady and finish their discussion.


	10. Chapter 10

**D.- WOW! Three new reviewers less than a half hour since I posted Chapter 9. I'm ecstatic! I'm blown away and most importantly, very motivated to update. As I promised, every new reviewer gets a chapter, so these three are out for that reason. Huge thanks to MissyMadAsHatter, I totally appreciate the comment, I try to put my big ol' vocabulary to good use, and I worry it comes off as pretentious. Thanks for reassuring me! **

Before Alice and Hatter could board the scarab, they had to wade through all the oysters. Some are grouping together, talking animatedly about their hometowns and hobbies, one person's memories sparking another's memories and so on. Others are hugging or crying over lost loved ones or injuries. Hatter slows his pace down, his ribs becoming sore fro his rigid posture when the oysters nearest to them begin rejoicing and spinning each other around, which results in a collision with Hatter and Alice. Hatter takes most of the force, having the two people who were so tangled up collapse on top of him. Alice is only stuck by a flailing oyster limb as the three of them fall beside her. Hatter crumbles to the ground in agony and Alice looks up to see the medics coming over to investigate. Alice, worried for him, helps the two oysters off of him gently, then kneels next to him, trying to gauge his needs.

"Hatter, what's wrong? The medics are walking this way, they're going to help you into the scarab and take care of you." Hatter is in much too much pain to say much, but he grabs her hand and refuses to let it go.

"Stay. Don't leave." He mutters as he begins to fall unconscious. Alice touches his face and replies gently.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Hatter tries to smile, but it's much more of a pained grimace and drops off to sleep. The medics arrive and lift him into the scarab, Alice following along beside them. They put them into the same room she had been in just hours prior and lay Hatter on his back, next to the wall, his hat falling off and rolling away. Alice snatches it up and puts it on her own head. The medic looks up at her, a kind smile on his face.

"What's the problem here? Has he suffered any recent trauma or internal distress other than the physical injuries I can see?" Alice doesn't know for sure, and tries to think back to his behavior since the Casino.

"He's been clutching his chest and ribs. I guess you should start there." Alice stops the medic from cutting off his coat, offering to remove it should it become necessary. She then removes his tie from around his neck but when she brushes against the fabric of his shirt, she notices it wasn't solid. There are tiny cuts in the fabric along the neck and shoulders. The medic unbuttons the shirt and is unable to pull the shirt completely off. From what Alice could see, Hatter had been attacked by razor blades, small cuts, which had hardly bled at all litter his shoulders and chest. It seems that the reason the shirt is stuck, the reason Alice sucks in a shocked, pained breath, is the large welts and contusions, some split open and leaking fluids that are scattered around his stomach and ribs. Alice looks up at the medic, who pulls out a bottle of water and a pair of sharp, skinny scissors. Alice blanches a little as she watches the medic first wet the area, then pull at the material, cutting it away from his body. Alice smoothes her hand over Hatter's hair, gently tracing the contours of his face, never more glad in her life that he is unconscious. Even with the extreme care and slow pace, It isn't long before the medic manages to remove the shirt entirely. Alice assists him in putting the right cream or poultice on the right type of wound. She assists in wrapping his chest because her arms are skinnier and have an easier time reaching under the unconscious Hatter without jarring him. When she has finished, she asks the medic if he knows where she could get haleberries. The medic looks up at her questioningly.

"Haleberries? I'm not sure they still grow in Wonderland. In the city, the only kind of pick me up people reach for is an emotion tea. I have a supply handy, just to take the edge off if you'd lik-" Alice just waves him off.

"Is there anything else I need to know to take care of him?" The medic smiles, explains that she needs to change his bandages often, especially if he overdoes himself. He hands her a supply of the creams and poultices they had used and a roll of gauze.

Alice thanks him for his help then watches him step over to the other occupants in the room, oysters Alice hadn't even noticed until now. Alice stretches out near Hatter, leaning her head on her palm, resting the weight on her arm so that she can lean over Hatter and kiss his forehead. His eyes begin to twitch ever so slightly, but rapidly, like he is getting R.E.M. sleep. Alice smiles down at him and just watches him rest for a while. He finally opens his eyes, blinking once, then twice, and then reaching up to touch her face, which Alice leans into his palm.

"You look good in my hat." Alice laughs and goes to take it off, to hand it back, but he shakes his head. They hear the scarab motors slowing down so Hatter moves to sit up, feeling a rush of air on his upper torso over the muted burning sensation of his wounds and the sharp throbbing pain of his bruised insides. He looks down to find the source of the cool breeze and sees his tattered shirt laying open against his fresh white bandages. He stands under his own power and while he is buttoning his shirt, he tries to jokingly ask Alice, who is standing and watching him carefully for any way to help him.

"So, will I live?" Alice understands that he is upset, so she refrains from crying, or reaching out to hold him, and after a big, conscious swallow past the emotion tearing her apart, she manages a very serious face for her reply.

"Well, the medic thinks you're a big old faker, trying to get my attention by swooning, but I told him you already had my attention so there must be something to your injuries. You'll have to bear with me while I mess around with the creams and poultices he left and I'll probably tie the bandages too tight, but I promise to kiss every Ow-ee better when I'm done." Hatter had been listening with a half-hearted smile until that last bit. He turns to face her, stunned shock on his face. Alice takes advantage and presses a big, gentle kiss to his black eye.

"You know back home, people put a bag of frozen peas or a big steak on a black eye. I don't suppose you have either of those at your place huh?" Hatter tucks in his shirt, pulling his jacket tighter around him and takes Alice's hand, following the last of the oysters out of the scarab, walking through the Looking Glass hall. Hatter manages to keep a straight face as he asks:

"What's a steak then?" Alice stops walking and looks at him suspicious, but when he doesn't change his expression, she just gapes in shock for a moment before finding her words.

"A steak is a cut of meat from a cow. Cow's are like short, fat little horses, that can give you milk." Hatter cracks up laughing almost immediately and through the wheezing coughs and the groaning laughter, he manages to reply.

"We have cows here Alice. Not many, but some. I was just kiddin' ya." His laughter dies down as he turns and signals for the elevator, which pings for them immediately. Hatter presses the ground floor and he can't help himself from repeating her explanation. "Short and fat little horses indeed!" His facial expression clears when Alice shoots him an angry look, but the topic reminds him of something important.

"Oh my, speaking of horses, Charlie's horse is still locked in that building. Lady Guinevere will need to be returned to her pasture." Alice looked at Hatter a little curiously.

"You're in no condition to take her back to the Kingdom tonight Hatter. We'll have to send someone over to take her, or find Charlie and let him take her home." Hatter frowns, but continues to think on the problem as they step out of the elevator and cross the lobby. Alice leads Hatter around the waiting room chairs after he distractedly bumps a table with the side of his leg. They no sooner clear the waiting area when Hatter straightens quickly, causing a ripple of pain to fly across his torso. His smile isn't affected as he elaborates his new plan.

"My office at the Tea Shop has a carpet of grass and a steady supply of fresh water. We'll swing by the shack, pick her up and let her into my office. I can lock her in there, safe and sound until the morning when we can take her back to Charlie." Alice half shrugs and smiles in acceptance of the plan as they exit the building into the city. Hatter takes a moment to orient himself and then, smiling a little, he points across the nearest small bridge. Alice walks behind him, noticing how narrow the bridge was. She keeps her hand on the hem of his coat until they step off and Hatter pulls her forward to hold her hand. They walked around two blocks and Hatter points down at the shack.

Alice smiles, happy to help the gentle horse, until Hatter turns to his left and points down a ladder. Alice takes a deep breath and nods, following Hatter down the ladder. When she reaches the bottom, Hatter reaches for her waist again, this time when she thanks him, he smiles back and presses a kiss to her nose. He takes her hand as they shuffle across another narrow bridge to the shed, Hatter walking ahead but looking back at her more often than looking where he is going.

He smiles a relieved smile when he throws open the doors and the impatient swishing of Guinevere's tail greets him. He turns her around, and guides her out and around a few blocks, past the Hospital of Dreams, maneuvering her to an inclined ramp leading up a level, then bringing her back to the spot where Alice had met Ratty. Alice smiles at him as they cross the wide bridge, a bridge complete with railings and Alice is pleased to see the red phone box, but her smile dies when she sees the tea shop, it's marquee only half operational due to a jagged piece of rock still sticking out of its right side.

The place has been ransacked but looks fairly empty at the moment. Hatter takes Alice's hand and motioning for her to be quiet; they walk past the door hanging on its last hinge. They assist Guinevere with ducking her head enough to pass under the doorway. One blissed out individual is splayed near the window, his hardly open eyes staring, glassy and unfocused out the window. They walk past the trading area, where Alice had first seen Dormie. There is no one there and the chalkboard of values has been destroyed, the whole thing ripped off the wall and broken up into pieces, leaning against the wall.

Hatter makes his way to his office door. He takes out a key and opens the door and looks inside quickly before moving, seeing no one and nothing disturbed. He motions Alice in and then leads Guinevere in, closing the door firmly behind them and locking it. Hatter removes her saddle and blanket while Alice takes off her headpiece. Setting both on a nearby chair, Hatter lets her stand a moment, while he moves to his desk, pulling a drawer out and emptying it on the floor. He carries it over to his little sink and fills it with cool water. He and Alice, at her insistence, carry it over to one of his plastic chairs and set it up for her to drink comfortably from. Hatter double checks the lock on his back door, unsurprised to find it is secure. He closes the breaker boxes for any rooms but his office and suite, then takes Alice's hand and leaves the office, wishing Guinevere a good night and locking the door behind him.

Navigating in the natural light isn't difficult for Hatter so he gently leads Alice to his suite down the hall. His key pad is flashing red, a sign that someone has tried and failed to enter. He sneaks a peak around the area, and then, seeing no one, he enters his 5 digit code. 7-2-8-3-6.

Jack has finally managed to track down the Duchess. She is standing next to Robert Hamilton, Alice's father, talking with him and a man dressed in priest garb. She has one of his mother's ladies in waiting taking notes beside her. Jack strides up with a tight smile on his face, trying to hear the conversation as he approaches. When they stop talking for a moment to greet him, he is inwardly shocked at the Duchess's appearance. She stands completely motionless, her half smile stuck on her face, but her eyes are tired and strained. Pulling himself up to his most royal posture, he asks the men if he can be of assistance. When they explain that Duchess had found them trying to organize the oysters by location, she called on the young Melina to take notes. Jack nods gratefully to the men, announces that he requires the Duchess elsewhere but that as soon as they are able, they must get transport to the Looking Glass Hall where they can continue their work, and then report to the Minister of clubs. The men agree and Melina bows to the future king as he escorts Duchess away from the group and off to the side. When they stop walking, Duchess looks up at Jack, her head feeling like it would prefer to just explode and be done with it.

"What is it Jack?" Jack sees her shiver a little from the wind and shrugs out of his jacket. He slips it around her shoulders before he speaks.

"Earlier, why did you take that tea?" Duchess looked away but he pulled her face back up to look him in the eyes. "You took that tea to prove to me that you care about me, isn't that right Duchess?" Duchess just looks at him, as if to say 'Of course, you fool, now make a point.' Jack clears his throat. "Well, I'm not sure how often you partake in these teas, but that was pretty potent stuff and I think it may be making you ill. I'd like for you to take a scarab back to the hall and retire for the night. I feel like an ogre for keeping you on your feet when you should be resting." Duchess sways a little, but mumbles.

"I don't wanna take a scarab again, 'm too scurred." The Duchess's words trail off as she begins to fall. Jack catches her before she can crumble to the ground and lifts her up into his arms. Melina rushes over to drape his fallen coat over her legs, since the short skirt is in fact very short. Jack knows that emotion teas are not simply emotions in liquid form. To transfer any emotion to Wonderlanders, they have to mix them into a liquid full of drugs to make heart rate and brain function rise while lowering natural defenses and systems to successfully incorporate any new components to their systems. Duchess has taken a large amount of undiluted tea and therefore, is at risk for any number of health problems in the very near future.

Prince Jack carries her quickly to the scarab, ordering their immediate departure for the Looking Glass Hall. He isn't sure whether to hope Duchess has taken a fair amount of tea in her time at court and that her body knows how to handle the strain or hope that she has never taken the stuff so that her body would be able to fight the drugs more strongly. He has a medic look her over, but the lady pronounces her exhausted and informs Jack that her fainting is her body's way to recover lost amounts of energy and is not life threatening. Jack is relieved but anxious to get her back inside and under supervision.


	11. Chapter 11

**D.- This chapter is up for the second of my three new reviewers, Outwiththelogic. There's still one more being uploaded tonight, so be sure to check it out too! I am in fact elaborating on the Duchess/Jack relationship because I think they suit each other. Must be all the blonde lol…Jk. I don't own or receive any compensation for use of the name Home and Garden Magazine. Enjoy folks!**

Alice marvels at her first sight of Hatter's place. His office is shiny and plastic and cold, with odd quirky bits, like the grass carpet, but this room is something out of a slightly mismatched Home and Garden Magazine. All the textures are soft, just begging to be touched. Where the furniture in his office is all stark white, with glass, his suite has all wood furnishings, hand carved from the look of it. Strange and beautiful designs cover the wood, all burnt into the face and sanded until it gleams. His color scheme is everywhere, no discernable pattern except that there are a lot of patterns. Hatter lets her look around as he disappears through a doorway.

His walls are all a different colors, on the Plum Purple wall; he has all blue toned art, modern with bright slashes of color on a stark white back drop. On the Forest Green wall, he has a large wardrobe, in a medium shade wood, with beautiful twists and turns covering the doors. Those two walls meet and enclose his small living room. A very soft, inviting couch is in the middle of the room, facing the wardrobe. The small coffee table holds a tableau of a frog and a rat walking down the street in evening wear. She recalls his song and smiles. The Tuscan Gold Yellow wall is the kitchen back drop. It holds the two windows, higher from the floor than she is used to seeing in her world, but well decorated with pull down shades of a deep orange paisley. The cupboards have orange stained glass doors with antiqued knobs and the counters are tiled with different shades of off white. He has a stunning tea pot on the counter, decorated with tiny black paintings on a sunny yellow background. She smiles when she sees the Fire Engine Red wall. It is completely bare except for a large bookshelf, done in a dark, rich wood with what appears to be some sort of stone insets. It draws the eyes away from the doorway on either side. She approaches it and reads titles that she recognizes.

"I didn't know you could get copies of Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe over here. Did you ever travel to my world?"

"Nope" Is Hatter's reply, making sure to pop the 'p'. Alice, afraid to overstep her boundaries, continues to browse the titles. She eventually hears Hatter's breathing get ragged and when he looses a little groan, she wants to go to him, but doesn't want to intrude.

"Are you ok in there Hatter?" Hatter grunts a pained "Yes" but Alice becomes worried when all she can hear is her own breathing. She waits another minute for any sound

and is about to walk over and peek in the room when Hatter steps out, a pair of loose fitting pants and his bandages all the clothing he has on. He lifts one arm to run through his hatless hair and grins weakly at her.

"I thought you wanted to get some sleep. Leave the books alone, they'll still be around in the morning, yeah?" He holds out a pair of men's pajamas to Alice and motions her to the bathroom. "You can change in there if you like. Would you like a cuppa tea?" Alice clutches the pjs to her breast and nods.

"I'd love a cup of tea Hatter, thanks." She turns and flees into the bathroom, her cheeks aflame. Alice can well imagine what it would feel like to run her fingers along his bare shoulders, she can imagine him lifting her up and taking her against any surface in the place. Alice strips out of her dress, imagining that Hatter is the one doing the honors, imagining that his fingers are sliding along her back as he lowers her zipper. Alice steps out of her dress and pulls the top on distractedly. Before she reaches for the buttons to do up the shirt, she pulls off her tights and stuffs them into her boots. She begins doing up the buttons, while thinking of Hatter undoing them. Alice folds her dress neatly and drapes it over her boots in the corner of the bathroom.

Jack again lifts Duchess into his arms as he leaves the scarab. The Diamond state rooms aren't far from the looking glass room so he walks through the growing number of oysters lining the walls and standing in groups around the chairs in front of the Looking Glass. People clear out of his way as they notice the Duchess' unconscious form. When he arrives at the room, he has to tighten his hold on Duchess with one arm, trying to balance her weight on only that arm so that he can let himself into her suite. Jack sighs in relief when the door slides open and he shifts her back to both arms, jostling her awake.

"Jack?" Her voice is soft and sleepy and Jack feels a pull of attraction as he watches her large eyelashes flutter against her pale skin. He wishes, not for the first time, that he and Duchess had met properly, had a different past. He still wouldn't take advantage of her in this state, but he would certainly not feel so torn about helping her. He can't help but see her as the person who reported to his mother all of his misdeeds as a child growing up. He can remember all the times she refused to partake in his small adventures, the short times in his life where he could venture outside the expectation and be himself, explore why things were the way he was always told they had to be. He looked down into her painted face, her eyes confused and glassy.

"Duchess, I…" Her head lolls to the side, her hair falling into her eyes. He brushes the hair back gently before continuing. "Duchess, I need to know something very important from you, so you need to stay awake for me ok?" Duchess nods a little too enthusiastically, her eyes flying open in panic as dizziness takes over her. She straightens in his arms, forcing him to put her down before she manages, just barely, to stride into the en suite bathroom to vomit. Jack feels relieved, almost certain that this is a sign of her body fighting off the drugs.

He pulls his thin tie from around his neck and walks into the bathroom, using it to secure the Duchess' hair for her. He steps back and walks to the linen closet, grabbing a small washcloth and wetting it with hot water. When Duchess leans back against the claw foot tub, he hands her the cloth to wipe her face with. She stands under her own power and rinses the cloth clean, then runs it under cold water, to press it against her forehead. That task complete, and feeling more human, she pulls out her toothbrush and looks pointedly at Jack, who raises his hands in surrender and backs out of the bathroom. Jack doesn't close the door but steps over to the seating area and takes a seat in the chair facing the couch. Once Duchess is finished her task, she steps out of the bathroom and starts when she sees Jack sitting tall in her lounge chair. He stands and motions her around to sit in front of him.

"I still need to know some important things Duchess. Please have a seat." She bristles at being told what to do in her own space, but does as he asked. Once they are both seated, Jack rubs his neck in a nervous gesture before he speaks. "Duchess, are you still under the effects of the Honesty tea?" Duchess thinks about it, but then mumbles a shy 'yes'

"Duchess, I need to know how often you've taken emotion teas." Her look of shock and outrage prompts him to very quickly explain himself. "If you've never taken them before, you'll have more pronounced symptoms, but they will clear your system faster. If you have a history of tea use, the symptoms will, naturally be less severe, but long lasting. I'm trying to figure how to help you best." Duchess looks mollified and replies very quietly, her voice that of a scared child.

"I tried it once when I was young and foolish. It wasn't as strongly diluted as it should have been and the effects were wonderful at first. Then the after-effect kicked in and I dumped the rest of the bottle down the drain. I've also had a few of my drinks laced with something or other in small amounts over the years…the joys of being a pretty girl I suppose." Jack felt an irrational anger that his staff had been drugging his mother's ward and had to take a breath to tamp down the anger. Just as he managed to calm himself, Duchess remembered something else that made his blood run cold. "And any new emotion she didn't want to try, she'd summon me. Sometimes more than one at a time."

Jack can't stand the thought of it and stands, walking around in front of Duchess, his anger visible as he paces back and forth behind the chair he had just vacated. Suddenly, the most important question of them all springs to his mind. His anger vanishes, leaving him standing behind his chair, unsure how to phrase the question to Duchess. He looks over at her, seeing her confused eyes resting on him patiently, waiting for the interrogation to continue. But suddenly plagued by conscience, he's unsure if it would be right to ask her how she feels about him and why she took this tea to begin with. Duchess can see he wants to ask something, it just occurred to him, but he's being shy. A shy Jack is a cute Jack.

"I remember that you used to stutter ever so slightly when you were being shy. When I was moved out here to live with your family 10 years ago, and we were first introduced, I didn't think you'd be able to finish the sentence 'My name is Jack' I thought it was the cutest, most adorable thing I'd ever seen." Jack smiles awkwardly, not sure where the thought had come from, but glad to not have to think about the moral dilemma he had been pondering. He sits next to Duchess carefully, turning his body to face hers on the couch, and they talk about their past until dark, when the Prince excuses himself to go check on the Looking Glass, and then retire for the night.

Alice looks at herself in the long men's shirt, and opts not to wear the pants. She splashes some water on her face, and removing her pins, braids her hair back. She takes a deep breath, prays that she has the strength to resist jumping Hatter or that he doesn't have any such strength, and then she steps out of the bathroom. Hatter is just pouring the boiled water into his teapot when he sees Alice. He stops and swallows, his eyes raking her body. She smiles nervously and moves to the small little couch, curling her legs under her and flattening the shirt against her thighs. Hatter returns to dutifully pouring the water into the tea leaves. Once that is completed, he is at a loss. He gets down two tea cups and matching saucers. He calls over his shoulder.

"How do you take your tea Alice?" While he is distracted, she stretches up her arms above her head, hearing her spine re-align itself. Releasing a breath, she sighs out.

"Sweet. Usually 2 sugars." She looks over at Hatter to find him staring at her again. She smirks and rakes her eyes over his broad shoulders and arms, perfect in everyway, toned but not muscled, lean all over and just a hint of tan. She finally looks back at his face but he is turning back to the tea, his hands busy fixing the appropriate amount of sugar. Alice smiles and folds her arms on the armrest next to her, resting her head gently on top as she watches Hatter keep himself busy. Finally, feeling too wound up to do stay still, she stands quietly and walks up to him.

"So where do I sleep then? Gonna make up the couch or do we get to share?" Hatter starts at her closeness, dropping the sugar bowl. Luckily, this one is plastic and doesn't break; it just spills a little sugar. Alice cocks her head and waits for Hatter's response. Hatter turns to face her, his eyes dark and blazing.

"Why it's lady's choice here." He speaks with a cocky smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes. Alice can see he is nervous, maybe just as much as she is. She reaches for his hand and places it gently on her hip, rubbing circles on the back of said hand with her thumb. Hatter looks into her eyes, searching. "Be sure" is all he says as he waits.


	12. MATURE Chapter 12

**D.- This is the third of my three review group of chapters. This one goes out to its just lil' ol' me, and whoever you happen to be, I still appreciate the feedback. I'm excited as all get out to finally pump out a Mature chapter for this fic. If Ember knows Alice and reads this, this is the type of sexual themes I put into my stories, ignore my older work, I've evolved. That being said, you know if you're not supposed to read mature, sexually explicit fiction, so I can't really do more than warn you.**

**HEY! SCENES OF A SEXUAL, BUT CONSENSUAL NATURE BELOW! READ AT YOUR OWN PLEASU…RISK!**

When Alice looks down at his lips, Hatter takes it as an invitation. He pulls her forward from the hip, that hand sliding around to lock around her lower back as the other melded to side of her face, pulling her into his lips. Tea is forgotten, their lips mesh and war for dominance. Alice lets her hands roam his shoulders and up into his hair as Hatter's control snaps. He backs Alice up, and lifts her onto the kitchen table. He slides his hand up along her back to the base of her neck and into her hair as he brings the other down from her face, along the cord of her neck and further down to palm her breast through her shirt. Alice moans into the kiss, prompting Hatter to bring both hands to the task of undoing the buttons of her shirt. He grows impatient almost immediately with the slow pace and his fumbling fingers so he pulls away from the kiss, grabbed two handfuls of shirt and rips it open. The sight of Alice in her stunning navy blue matching lingerie set under his top takes his breath away and when she leans back on her arms, reclining in an invitational pose, Hatter thanks whatever hand of fate saw fit to deliver him this wonder. He begins by sliding one finger from her jaw, along the cord of her neck down to the strap of her bra and along the cup. When he reached the center, he locks eyes with Alice and slides the bra cup sideways, revealing a perfect round pebble for his enjoyment. The second his hot breath touches her breast, Alice's head flies back so she doesn't actually see his pink tongue flick her nipple, or roll around the nipple right after.

"Delicious" Hatter coos as Alice moans loudly, unable to control herself anymore. His hand slides along her ribcage to the back of her bra.

"So soft, so smooth." He effortlessly undoes the bra clasp and slides the bra just an inch or two down her arm, so that both of her glorious breasts would be available for play. Hatter licks his thumb and forefinger and plays with one nipple while he pulls her forward and suckles the other. Her hands are clawing at his shoulders, catching ever so slightly on his cuts, but Hatter doesn't care. Hatter switches sides, pausing only long enough to wet the opposite hand for equal pleasure. Alice's head is thrown back, her cries of passion the sweetest music to Hatter's ears. Feeling him pressing against her pelvic area ever so slightly as he performs his minor miracle on her already hyper-sensitive bosom, Alice slides her hands down his sides, ghosting over his bandages to his pants. She makes sure to claw, just a little as she reaches into his pants with her hand. Finding him commando makes her smile a predatory smile but Hatter will not be rushed.

"Not yet luv, you're turn first." He takes her hands and holds them to her side, giving her a hard look to make her keep still. She keeps them there with a sly smile but Hatter is prepared and pulls his shirt down to bunch at her elbows. The collar holds her arms tight to her body, unable to stretch any farther than across her back. Once the task of limiting her access is complete, he pushes her back gently, wary of her head coming in contact with the table. Once immobilized, he lifts each gloriously long leg up, and starts kissing, starting at the ankle, sucking lightly on the bone, then trailing his tongue up and along the inside of her calf to the inside of her knee, which makes Alice gasp.

After a few opened mouth kisses to the sensitive area, he continues up the inner thigh until her leg is raised enough to rest on the table edge. He repeats this treatment for the other leg as well, and Alice's moans are growing into a wail of desperate demand. Hatter traces his fingers along her hip bone, along the edge of her panties, slipping just barely inside the waistband, his touch more of gentle caress with his knuckles than a ripping need to remove the obstacle. Alice lifts her hips anyway.

"Impatient are we luv?" Hatter slowly removes the lacy garment. When she lifts her legs up off the table and puts them together so that he can pull the offending article off of her, she didn't expect him to place an open mouthed kiss on her labia. Stunned and completely aroused, she feels him pull the panties off and then lower her legs to hang off of his arms as he grips her hips tightly. Hatter pulls her forward so that her hips are on the edge of the table. Alice lifts her legs and places each foot on his shoulders. She is sure he is going to just pull his pants down and plow in, and the thought gets her hot, her eyes close of their own design but when she feels her legs lowering, she opens her eyes to see him kneeling down at the edge of the table. She holds her breath a moment before he places an open mouthed kiss on her center. She can almost feel his lips on her clit so she spreads her legs a little wider.

Hatter, always the clever fellow, takes the hint and runs a soft, warm tongue up from the cavern to the clit, going back and forth a few times in very slow motion. Alice moans aloud every time Hatter brushes her clit. She can feel her orgasm building, slow and steady. Hatter seems intent on torturing her with pleasure as long as he can, wanting to draw out her climax so she takes a deep, shuddering breath. Hatter surprises her again by slanting his mouth over her clit, and sucking while flicking her clit back and forth with this tongue and teeth. This makes Alice scream in pleasure, she's not sure she can take the almost constant pressure, the warm, silky tongue sliding around in seemingly random patterns and the occasional small pain of his teeth grazing her sensitive spot. Alice is sure he will bring her to orgasm like this, but he stops, returning to sliding just the tip of his tongue up and down from her tight little hole to press a very light touch against her clit.

Alice pulls at the shirt tail under her hands, the only thing she can reach, in frustration. She can't see Hatter from this position so she can't see him angling differently. She feels the absence of his mouth for a moment, and then feels him press a kiss to her thigh. She is about to take a breath when she feels his tongue ram into her core, thick and wet and wiggling ever so slightly. The shock makes her cry out his name, to which Hatter just swirls his tongue around inside then pulls out and runs up and down again, changing the pace just enough to keep her on the edge. Alice is a great mess of nerve endings and pleasure centers and can't really fathom a single thought other than:

"Please Hatter, don't stop!" He smiles and flattens his tongue against her, a big, wet pressing force that he then begins to rotate around her clit. Alice takes a deep breath and calls out again.

"Please, I need to- I just need-" Hatter slides two dry fingers up through the overflow of juices below his mouth then slides quickly into her core. Alice feels the shock and before she can make any sort of sound, Hatter begins to curl his fingers just right, to the perfect angle to stroke the g-spot with every thrust. That makes her let loose a scream, and Hatter quickly switches back to sucking the clit area and swirling his tongue over the abused little nub as he drives his fingers, over and over into her. Alice is struck dumb for a moment as white clouds her vision and then suddenly everything bursts into glaring Technicolor. Her hips shoot up, ending his mouths ministrations. His hand stills but doesn't retreat as Alice fights to regain some measure of breath. Alice is coming down from her high when she feels him stroke her g-spot slowly and softly. Moaning already at the supremely sensitive bundle of nerves, she tosses her head back and forth and then calls out.

"Hatter please! I can't!" Hatter grins, looking feral and possessively down into Alice's eyes.

"Oh you can, and you will. How about we finally rid you of this shirt?"


	13. MATURE Chapter 13

**D.- Because celticbriarrose thought that 12 was hot, I wonder what she'll think of 13? They say turn about is fair play, but just how does Alice punish Hatter's torture? Is she patient enough to hold out for a bigger finale? Read on and find out!**

Alice is pulled up by his hands sliding up her back. She immediately kisses him and is aroused at tasting herself on his lips. She moans into the kiss which Hatter finds is his undoing as he reaches behind her and pulls the shirt off. As soon as her arms are free, Alice pulls the bra off too, and then slides herself off the table and at Hatter. Her mouth affixing to his, her arms wrap around his waist, both skimming lower to grab his buttocks and pull him into her, pressing his erection against her still soaked center. They both moan and break the kiss at the contact. Hatter leans in first, kissing down her jaw and to her collarbone, which makes Alice lean her head back, to give him better access. Her moan turns into words.

"Ugh! I-gh, I think you're wearing too many clothes sexy." Hatter grins a little and murmurs against her neck.

"Think you can help me out with that?" Alice smiles and pushes him back one step at a time, kissing first one side of his face, then the other in time with his steps, until he is less than a foot from the couch. There, she slips an index finger into his pant waistband and then sliding her other hand around to splay on his hip, she uses them both to lower the pants, inch by inch, placing kisses on all the newly revealed skin. Hatter's breathing becomes very labored; small sighs of pleasure accompanying every kiss.

Finally, the main event pops free from the pants and Alice licks her lips in anticipation. Alice bypasses the shaft and the sack with her kisses and gently motions for Hatter to sit as his pants are pulled down to his knees. He sits back on the couch and Alice grabs the pants and pulls them free of his legs in one smooth motion, throwing them over her shoulder. This leaves her with a completely naked Hatter, all to herself. Smiling a big, wide grin, Alice slides her hands up his calves, squeezing lightly under the knee.

"Mmm, what I'm going to do to you…" She slides her hands up his thighs then dragged her nails down from hip to knee, making Hatter's skin quiver in anticipation. He has imagined himself, on numerous occasions, torturing Alice with pleasure, but this, Alice torturing him, it never even occurred to him to fantasize about it. Everything she is doing is so new, so unconceivable to him that his pleasure is skyrocketing with just the lightest touch.

"You're going to wish you hadn't drawn it out for me, cause I can make it last for days baby." Hatter takes a deep breath, releasing it quickly as the full effect of her voice saying naughty things registers to his sexually confused brain. Alice slides one hand up to cup his balls, lightly squeezing and rolling them in very small movements. When Hatter's eyes close in delight, she trails the tip of her tongue from base to tip. Hatter's eyes shoot open as he moans. Alice giggles and licks just under the head, writing numbers there, from ten down to one. Hatter, being a vocal guy is quick to tell her how good it feels.

"Ahgh..Alice! God baby, you're driving me crazy, teasing like that."

When the countdown is over, she slips her hand around the base of his cock, getting a firm grip and using her finger and thumb like a cock ring.

Hatter looks down just in time to see her mouth close over the tip and slide all the way down, until he feels the tip of him hit her throat. He moans at the silky smooth suction. Alice takes a breath and relaxes her throat, suspending her gag reflex temporarily, so she can take the last few inches in, sliding down until her lips meet her fingers at the base. Hatter's moan stretches into a scream as she continues to pull him deeper than he thought he could go. When Alice pulls up and sits back, Hatter is completely disappointed, but Alice tilts her head to the side and smiles her sexiest grin.

"Tell me what you like Hatter. Show me how to do it just perfectly. I'd like to be directed how to suck your cock." When Hatter sits, lost for words, and her mouth is once again wrapped around his tip, she takes her hand and grabs his, placing it on her head and pushing slightly, to give him the idea. Hatter, afraid of pushing to hard, is really uncomfortable at first, but she keeps her hand there and if he stops prematurely, she continues at the same speed anyway.

He soon learns that he can't hurt her or force her too far, and when she feels him fist both hands into her hair, she removes her hand and lets him lead. Occasionally, she manages to swallow while he is still pressed down her throat and he screams out at the feeling. Smiling inside her head, she pulls back, Hatter releasing her instantly. She climbs onto his lap, sliding her breasts against first his bandages and then against his upper torso as she leans up to whisper in his ear.

"Hatter, I've got no gag reflex." She expected him to swear or moan when he heard her little secret, but she wasn't prepared for the kiss. She sank into it willingly, relaxing her rigid posture to rub her aching sex against his. Her words may have been hot, but his would fry her brain.

"Forget the blow job. I'd rather blow inside you." His hand was in position guiding him in as he pushed up with all his force in Alice, who was so turned on, so ready for another go that she all but shattered glass when she screamed. He thrust gently after that, letting her nerves settle before he would build them back up. Alice moaned out Hatter's name, a mix of wonder and frustration that Hatter couldn't decipher.

"This feels so perfect, you and me." Alice looks down into his face, his eyes tender and yet passionate. She pulls him up from his slumped position, which changes their angle, making them both moan. She begins to rock her hips against his thrusts, feeling his hands come up to her hips to assist her. She reaches up behind his neck, grips him by the hair and the neck, looks into his eyes and kisses him. Her lips travel to his ear so he can hear her whisper.

"Fuck me like it's going out of style." Hatter moans and begins to push and pull her hips as hard as he can. He finds himself running out of breath quickly so he lifts her up and off of him. She stands, worry crossing into her eyes, checking his injuries. When he stands and slides behind her, she lets him bend her over the arm of the couch and the worry disappears as his breath tickles her ear.

"Your wish, my lady." He slides his tip along her juicy lips before plunging in as deep as he can get. The angle makes her cry out his name, and Hatter's hands splay out across her back, coming to rest on and gripping her hips. He uses all of his strength to give her the ride of her life. Alice grips the couch tightly, her breasts swinging with every thrust and her head lolling forward in pure bliss then throwing her head back, moaning. Hatter knows he is getting close so he reaches around her hip with one hand to pinch and play with her clit as he pounds into her.

Soon, Alice begins to tense up and Hatter leans over her to whisper "Cum for me luv." Before giving it everything he's got left to hammer into her the last few times. Alice screams as she tightens around him and his final thrust sends them spiraling down their own personal rabbit hole. Alice is too spent to move right away, but she feels Hatter withdraw. She turns to face him, pressing a tired and completely sated kiss to his lips. Unable to step away just yet, she watches Hatter walk into the bathroom and she can hear the water running. It stops quickly and Hatter comes out with a wet cloth. He offers it to her with a kiss to her shoulder. When she finishes wiping herself up, Hatter takes the cloth back to the bathroom, rinses and uses it to clean himself off as well. When he comes out again, Alice is sipping the tea he had made for her.

"It's still a little warm." She says with a smile, completely at ease, naked in his kitchen. He smiles at her, but once he gets his own tea, his brain catches up with the action. He'd just fucked his Alice. His lovely Oyster Alice, who needs to return through the looking glass with her father, no later than the following day. Alice senses his mood and places a kiss on his chin.

"To bed then I think?" She smiles over her shoulder as she wanders into his room. Hatter downs the rest of his tea in one gulp then follows her into the room, determined to enjoy his night with Alice. Perhaps his only night with Alice.


	14. Chapter 14

**D.- This is another mass update because new reviewers are posting for me! This one is for Deedadee. This chapter only has some minor nudity, no real spicy goodness, but the next chapter has a real romantic sex scene. Well at least I aimed for romantic. Enjoy all!**

Alice awakes to the gentle pressure of someone rubbing their hand over her lower back. Normally, she doesn't stay the night with her boyfriends, preferring instead to get home and get a good night's sleep in her own bed. This feeling of dreamy intimacy is a surprisingly pleasant change. She's not perfectly comfortable, the arm she has tucked under her pillow is asleep and the leg laying near hers is keeping her from scratching an itch, but the overall contentment of being so close to Hatter, feeling his warmth seep into her skin, and the soft tingling of his arm on her lower back is so phenomenally relaxing, that the few discomforts don't matter. Deciding to sneak a peek up at Hatter's face from her head's position in the crook of his arm, he seems peaceful; his eyes are closed gently, his lips forming a half-smile. Alice places a chaste kiss on his pectoral and then splays her hand across his chest. When her arm rubs against his bandages, she slowly pulls herself up. Hatter's hand tightens on her back for a second until too much movement shatters his illusion of peace.

"You alright luv?" Alice smiles and pulls the blanket up to peek at the bandages. There are small discolorations seeping through.

"I'm fine, but it seems we did a number on your wounds." Hatter looks down with a grimace.

"Never even felt them last night." Alice smiles a cheeky smile.

"Well you were a little distracted." She steps out of bed, and walks around to his side, crossing her arms under her breasts and tapping her foot. "Let's get you into a bath, we'll soak off the bandages then put some fresh ones on." When Hatter stops staring at how her crossed arms accentuate her breasts perfectly, he smiles a small, tight smile.

"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" Alice reaches down to pat his head before throwing back the blankets that covered him.

"If it does, I promise to kiss it all better, remember?" Hatter takes her hand and lets her help him up, his stomach muscles complaining at the movement. Once standing, he assures Alice he's ok and wanders past her and over to the bathroom, gloriously naked. Alice flushes when she makes her way after him, stopping in the living area to try to find a clock. She can hear that he has started the water and is letting it fill when Alice peeks her head in.

"There really are no clocks in Wonderland?" Hatter laughs and shakes his head as he answers.

"No, we've no need of them. It's roughly 8:30." Alice tilts her head.

"So you all just have a great sense of time…?" Hatter nods, checking the water level in the tub. Alice disappears again and returns, sticking her slightly blushing head into the bathroom.

"Hatter? Did you happen to see where my panties landed last night?" Hatter, almost instantly hard at the very thought of their goings on last night, turns away from the door, pretending to fluff a towel as he replies, his voice cracking:

"Um, I think they might be somewhere near the couch." Alice ducks back out, checking under the area rug, under Hatter's discarded sleep pants, in the crevices of the couch cushions, until she gives up, deciding that for right now, she should be helping Hatter with his bath, not worrying about her clothes. She returns to the bathroom, only her bra in hand, which she places with her clothes. Hatter tries valiantly to ignore her movement and reaches down to test the water temperature, finding it just slightly too hot, he straightens just as Alice wraps her arms around his waist, letting her hands rest gently against his bandages. She places a soft kiss to his shoulder.

"Why couldn't my whole time in Wonderland have been this nice?" She muses aloud, but Hatter didn't answer. He tries hard not to stiffen at the mention of time because he knows that they are going to be returning the oysters today and that Alice will have to return. He wishes she could stay, that her dad could just stumble home on his own and explain it all to her mother, but he knows that would be highly suspect. You don't trade family members like cards, at least not in her world.

Hatter notices the tub is full so he steps out of Alice's embrace, careful not to move suddenly and give off his upset vibe. Stopping the water flow, he turns back to her, his gamin smile in place.

"Alright then, don't forget, kissing injuries makes them better faster." Alice smiles and takes a towel from the rack, folding it up as he stepped into the tub. The heat licks up his legs and he feels a budding relief from all the running and walking. He crouches down to place his hands on the edge of the tub as Alice drops her folded towel and kneels on it beside the tub. She watches him take a deep intake of breath and whimper out:

"H-Hot!" She smiles softly, reaching in to touch the water.

"And why did you make it so hot?" Hatter forces himself down to sit and the water seeps into his bandages. He takes a sharp, painful breath.

"Isn't hot water better for washing away germs and such?" Alice nods distractedly.

"Yeah, but we'll need to take these bandages off, now that they are soaking, the bottom layers should start to loosen from your skin." Alice gently starts pulling off the gauze and leaned over the tub to unwind it. The first few layers come off easily. When she can see the outline of the welts, she slows her movements. Very carefully, she eases the bandages away, leaving only the folded gauze squares over his injuries. She notices the shower head and points up. "Does that thing work?" Hatter follows her finger's line and sees his shower head.

"Yes, it does. Why?" Alice slides her hand gently into the water and pulls the first of the squares free. It was already mostly floating around in the water, so Hatter doesn't even feel it.

"After we get the gauze off, we should shower. That way, there's less dirt and grime in the water." She says matter-of-factly. Hatter nods along.

"Makes sense I suppose." He looks down and reaches for a loosened square. The glaring red welt underneath is now a soft milky white. He points down to it. "Is it supposed to do that?" Alice nods.

"It was probably scabbing over while you slept. Scabs turn into that white protective goop when they get soaked in hot water. Just be careful not to rub it off." Hatter smiles, an impressed look lighting his face.

"You sure know your stuff. Are you a nurse in your world?" Alice shakes her head quickly.

"No, I'm teach at a dojo." Hatter only looks at her, confused. She giggles. "I teach people how to do that flippy stuff you saw me do." Hatter nods understandingly, his eyes noticing another loose square and pulling it free.

"So that's called adojo?" Alice laughs and shakes her head.

"Uhm, no. The dojo is the building that I teach in. Dojo means school of martial arts. The flippy thing is called martial arts." She sees another loose square and pulls gently. It catches a little, and Hatter hisses so she apologizes and leaves it be. Hatter just reaches around and pulls it off quickly.

"Better to get it over with I think." Alice looks him over; only two more squares cover the open sores. Alice remembers her promise to Hatter and leans forward to brush her lips across the unmarred skin next to the blister. When Hatter's brow draws together in confusion for a moment, she just smiles coyly and reminds him of her promise.

"Well I did promise to kiss the Ow-ee better, now didn't I?" Hatter looks down at his chest and reaches for them to pull them off. Alice catches his wrist with a warning.

"Don't pull them off too early. They will just tear the protective scab layer right off and they will take longer to heal." She looks up into his eyes, one still red from burst blood vessels. She touches his face and he leans into it. She pulls him forward for a gentle kiss. "You don't have to rush Hatter, we've got all day." She'd no sooner said that when she hears a buzz. She assumed it was an intercom and went to leave the bathroom. Hatter calls after her.

"It's the video link to the front door. You might want to slip your dress on luv." She smiles gratefully, and hurriedly pulls her dress on over her naked body, not bothering to zip it up and strides out to answer the summons. It's the little narcoleptic mouse creature.

"Hatter?" It calls through the com unit. She steps forward, in front of the camera.

"Sorry, he's busy, can I take a message?" Alice felt silly. 'Do you take messages for people knocking at your door?' The mouse broke through her thoughts with an angry rant.

"Tell him to pull up his pants and answer my call. I need to get into his office and you probably can't figure out how to open a regular old doorknob honey, so I need his help." Alice bristled.

"Listen here you filthy little vermin. I am no one's honey. My name is Alice, and for your information, Hatter and I took down the Queen of hearts yesterday, so I'd watch your damn tongue. You can stay outside and cool your heels until I'm finished patching up Wonderland's hero. Then I'll let him decide if he wants to let you in." She strides away, uncaring that the back of her dress is open. When she sees her underwear hanging just barely off the small table that lines the back of the couch, she scoops them up and carries them into the bathroom with her.

**(A.N.: More lemony goodness ahead! For those who want to skip it, see chapter 16.)**


	15. MATURE Chapter 15

**D.- Here's another chapter for you my lovelies! It's a mature chapter, but I hope that people who shouldn't be reading it, don't. I really tried to make this more romantic, but it's hard to really see it as loving romance when Hatter's such a little hottie! Without further ado, I give you chapter 15!**

Alice steps back into the room, blowing a frustrated breath out when she notices that Hatter is out of the tub, gauze square-free and stepping into pants. She throws her panties over towards her clothes and slips her dress off of her shoulders and down to the floor, stepping out of it in one smooth move that had Hatter getting hard again.

"Don't worry about him. He'll wait." Hatter drops the waistband of the pants then steps out of them as well.

"I wasn't worried about him, I didn't like what he said about you, I was going to go down and introduce him to my right fist." Alice smiles and reaches into the tub, pulling the plug and watching the water swirl down the drain. Hatter lowers the toilet seat and lid to sit on it. "I should have known a dojo owner would be able to take care of herself huh?" His voice had a tinge of great sadness and despair to it. Alice takes his head in her hands.

"A sensei is as vulnerable as any other person Hatter." He looks into her eyes, seeing the trust and caring there, the small twinge of sadness being blotted out by her feelings for him. She straddles his legs to give him a slow, passionate kiss. When she hears the water give its last little gurgle as it finishes draining, she stands, kisses him on the nose and reaches for the taps.

"I've been dying for a real shower for what feels like weeks. Parading around in a wet dress is not the cleanest feeling, let me tell you." She gets the temperature right and then pulls the shower knob, enjoying the rush of water over her arm. She motions Hatter over to the tub and helps him in, stepping in with him. His hair immediately flops down around his face, but he releases a groan of pain when he lifts his arms to push it out of his face.

Alice, concerned steps closer and reaches up to run her fingers through his wild hair, gently forcing it back from his face. He closes his eyes and leans his head back so she repeats the motion. He grips her hips for balance and then straightens up to look down into her face. The water cascades down his nose and cheeks but avoids his intense eyes. They lock onto Alice's rapidly darkening eyes and then he pulls her close, kissing her all over her face, getting closer to her mouth each time.

Alice closes her eyes and is shocked to feel his lips on her eyelids, nose and jaw. She feels his hands maneuvering her under the spray, the hot water burning its way down her already too hot body. She pulls her head forward enough to open her eyes and see Hatter staring at her body, his eyes following the rivulets of water that follow her every curve. She pulls her hair out of her face and lets it fall down her back, releasing the messy braid from the elastic, which she promptly drops outside the tub. Hatter bends his head to kiss her again and she wraps herself around him, her skin soft and wet, sliding against his chest and ribs. Hatter is hard pressed not to take her then and there. He stutters out her name.

"Al-Alice?" She stops and pulls back minutely. He continues his train of thought.

"Let's just shower for now, then once were out, we can make love in bed this time, hmm?" Alice smiles the most brilliant smile he's ever witnessed and he feels the breath leave his body but can't seem to remember how to breathe it back in. Alice touches his face in concern, which breaks the spell and he takes in a greedy gulp of air, his chest paining him only a little. Alice touches her lips to his gently.

"Where's your shampoo handsome?" Hatter reaches out to the dispenser he had installed. He points to the different liquids.

"Orange is shampoo, Blue is soap." Alice nods and reaches for the orange canister's button. When it shoots out, she rubs it between her hands and then into his hair. She is careful to try to keep the shampoo running down his back and not over his wounded chest. When she considers him lathered enough, she turn him under the spray, keeping his head leaned back. She slowly massages his scalp until all the shampoo rinses away. She pulls him out of the spray again and begins to lather his legs and arms with the blue soap. She washes his back and he scrubs the more intimate parts, not wanting her to get carried away. Rinsing off, he is then gently rubbed with clean hands down his chest, sloughing away any dirt or caked on blood.

Hatter steps back and Alice makes quick work of shampooing her own hair and washing herself down. She turns the shower off and then steps out, pulling her folded towel up to dry off quickly, then reaching for another towel to dry Hatter. She begins drying him at his hair, rubbing the towel vigorously back and forth until it stands on end, jutting in every direction. Then she rubs down his back, his arms, his buttocks and down his legs. She kneels at his feet and slipping each foot into her lap, she makes sure to dry everything back up to the juncture of his thighs. She grips his hardening member in the towel, sliding her other cloth covered hand under to wipe gently at his balls.

Left with only his injured chest, she takes a smaller hand towel from the shelf and pats his whole chest down. The softer and more tightly woven fabric of the hand towel means fewer fibers in his wounds. Dry and ready to redo his bandages, Alice moves to walk over to the counter, where she had left the medic's supplies, but Hatter grabs her hand.

"Just me and you Alice, we'll take it slow and easy this time." Stunned and suddenly very warm, she lets him guide her to the bedroom, walking backwards, holding her hand like he had on that very first meeting, when he guided her around the high ledges of this city.

She watches in awe as he pulls her to him, slanting his lips over hers. As they kiss, he rotates them so that her knees would touch the bed. Hatter's kisses wander to her neck, gentle open mouthed kisses over the love bites he had left her last night. She feels them falling backward as Hatter's hand slides up to cradle the back of her head.

Supported and covered all at the same time, she feels safe and loved. She uses her arms to push herself up the bed, her head resting on the pillows. Hatter smiles and scoots up to her, kneeling between her legs. He reaches for her right hand, running his lips across the back of her hand, and then flips it over to place an open mouthed kiss on her palm. She closes her eyes, a look of pure bliss crossing her face.

His kisses continue up her forearm to the green tattoo-like design. He slides his tongue along the curve of the design and finished with a wet kiss. He tilts his head to the right and he's suddenly kissing the underside of her breast. Alice reaches for his head, sliding one hand to the nape of his neck, the other tangling in the hair to the side of his face so she can still see his gorgeous face. Hatter switches breasts and Alice's eyes roll back into her head from the pleasure and slow warmth spreading from that still wet first kiss on her palm. Hatter's lips make their way up her collar bone, around her neck and up to her ear.

"You're mine Alice, I- I need you." Alice can hear the deeper meaning in his voice and chokes up. Her eyes are swimming glassy pools of blue when he follows her jaw to her lips. When he pulls back, tears have spilled down her cheeks. He kisses them away and then returns to her lips. The salt of her tears makes her lick her lips afterwards, as Hatter's hands reach up to grasp her face from both sides. He then slides both hands down her throat, across her breasts, stopping only briefly for a fond caress, before continuing down her stomach. Alice moaned out his name.

"That's right Alice, I'm your Hatter. I always will be." His hands travel down her hips and legs, bypassing her very throbbing need. He lifts her knees to lay her legs over his own legs and then trails his hands back up her inner thighs, decreasing the pressure until he pulls his hands away just before the only place she really wanted them. Alice looks down at Hatter as he positions himself, just the tip inside. He then reaches forward and grasps her hands in his own, lacing their fingers together. Alice's eyes meet his and though she hasn't said it, Hatter is sure he can see her love as she smiles a timid smile and lifts her hips just slightly. Hatter smiles down at her and then lowers his head for a kiss, arching his back to push himself in to the hilt in one smooth move.

Like coming home, Hatter doesn't want to move, he wants to stay sunk in her heat forever more. But when she sucks on his bottom lip, he withdraws and slides back in, slow, but unstoppably deep. Alice moans at every thrust and he greedily swallows her cries. When he lifts his head from hers for air, her eyes are once again screaming her feelings at him, but he doesn't want to take that first step and say how he feels out loud. He just focuses on feeling all the love he has, hoping that she will somehow know and feel his love for her. It isn't long before the slow thrusts have built enough pressure to break Alice. She was standing on the edge of something beautiful, ready for the first time to take the fall.

"Hatter!" She takes a quick breath and tries again. "Hatter I -" His last thrust pushes him over and at the feeling of him emptying into her, the feeling of this rush of pressure everywhere inside her, she comes, silently screaming, eyes bugged wide as Hatter collapses onto her chest, the warm, heavy body comforting to Alice. She pulls her hands free and rubs them along Hatter's back in perfect contentment. Hatter doesn't stay down though, as he pushes himself up and pulls her, still attached intimately to the edge of the bed. As he pulls out, he extends one hand to help her up. Alice had to pee, so she allows him to lead her out and into the bathroom. Hatter cleans himself up at the sink while Alice finishes her business. She stands and makes her way to the sink, sliding her underwear and bra on while waiting there to wash her hands and then settle Hatter's injuries. Hatter leaves the bathroom for a moment, returning in his boxer shorts. When he returned, Alice is leaning over the counter, drying her hands on the hand towel that hung there. He leans against the door frame as he watches Alice pull her tights out of her boots. Sitting herself on the counter, she pulls them on slowly up each carefully bended knee and Hatter has to leave the room or face the day with an unquenchable thirst for Alice. He is making tea for them when the buzzer rings again. He parades over to the door; fully prepared to hand Dormie his ass for interrupting again, but it isn't Dormie. When Alice steps out of the bathroom, her dress and his coat on, he smiles at her, before turning back to the screen.

"What do you want Jack?"


	16. Chapter 16

**D.- Here we are, exactly half-way done this story. I've been seriously contemplating on a sequel of sorts, maybe two. I figured one for Alice and Hatter and one for Jack and Duchess. Duchess's story will be pretty dark, with a side of potential asshole boyfriend/ruler, so guaranteed drama and I can get Hatter and Alice into all kinds of sticky situations. Let me know in reviews if you'd be interested to read either and I'll get started on it, so that I get some ideas to work with. It takes me about a week to get a story done with the right inspiration, so I hope to get started soon.**

Hatter pushes the button to let Jack into the building, and then goes to put on some pants and socks. Alice is fully dressed already, so Jack shouldn't assume anything, other than it's time for her to change his bandages, but Hatter can't help but want to keep his experience with Alice private from her ex-boyfriend turned royal. Jack arrives at his door just as he finishes adjusting the tea for three, in case Jack needs to butt into their lives for longer than a minute or two. Jack knocks on the door and Alice lets him in, holding all of Hatter's first aid needs in her arms. Jack reaches for a hug, which Alice accepts awkwardly, then moves away, bringing the items to the table. After she sets them up and kneels down in the exact same spot as she did last night, Hatter sets down two cups of tea on the table and then calls out.

"Do you want a cuppa tea, Jack?" His smile stays in place, even at the slight of using Jack's given name instead of his royal title. Jack grits his teeth and ignores it.

"No, thank you, we're not staying." Alice cranes her head to look around Jack to the door, no one seems to be waiting for him outside, no guards have followed him into the room.

"We, Jack?" He steps forward to take Alice's arm and help her up, but she just moves her arm away, continuing to kneel in front of Hatter, who moves to sit gently on the couch. Reaching for the appropriate pot of cream and the small square bandages on the table next to her tea, she begins her work on Hatter, who hisses at the cold cream when she first applies it. After she mutters a small "Sorry" to Hatter, who only half mumbles back "S'ok, s' just cold.", she looks up at Jack, daring him to explain himself. To her great upset, he does.

"We, as in you and I, Alice. I've come to bring you back to the Looking Glass Hall; you're to be the first to go back today." Alice, seemingly unfazed by his statement dips her fingers into cream again, and without looking up from her business of tending Hatter, replies as she warms the cream by rubbing it between her fingers.

"I have other things that require my attention before I leave Wonderland, Jack." Hatter's heart fills with joy, the kind of soul lifting joy that spreads a big smile across his face, one Jack aims to see deflated before he leaves. Alice continues spreading cream until the last welt is covered. She wipes her hand off on a gauze bandage, and then reaches for the poultice before finishing her thought to Jack. "You'll just have to send me back at a later time." Hatter's smile falls, and distracted, he groans in pain when the salve touches the first open sore. Alice mumbles another sorry before looking up at Jack, looking at him expectantly.

"What else do you need Jack?" He snaps out of his half-jealous inner monologue to explain to Alice his plans.

"Alice, the oysters won't return home without seeing someone they trust going through first. I regret that you are the only one they see as a positive influence in this world. Whatever other plans you have, they must be sacrificed for the good of your people." Hatter rolls his eyes, but bites his tongue, especially hard when the poultice is applied to the two completely uncovered blisters where he had ripped the gauze off in a hurry. Alice places small gauze squares over all the exposed blisters and then helps Hatter stand. As she wraps his chest in linen strips, she speaks to Jack.

"A lesson in being the boss Jack, you can't please everyone. I have commitments to attend to, I will not break them. When I am finished, I will return to the Looking Glass Hall and my father and I will travel together." Jack flinches at the mention of her father.

"Alice, your father isn't able to go back yet. We need his help to finish the clean up here." At Alice's glare Jack flinches but so does Hatter when she accidentally pulls too tight. Alice loosens the bandage, stops her movement to apologize to Hatter properly, her eyes conveying to him how annoyed she is with Jack, before remembering why she was glaring. Hatter pipes in before Jack can dig himself into a deeper hole.

"How about we don't tie me bandages when Jack's upsetting you hmm?" He holds the bandage roll and Alice crosses her arms over her chest, making Hatter remember her this morning, before helping him out of bed. The view was much better at the time, he thinks with a small smile. Jack is staring down the angry Alice and trying to continue his earlier thought.

"And besides, think how strange it would be for him to appear ten years later, with no back story, no excuse for his absence. Carol would no doubt perish from shock alone!" Alice steps up to him, anger and violence threatening to forget her promise to use her training only for defence.

"You have no right, no right at all to mention my mother to me. You tricked us both with your lies and gentle smiles. Now that you've said your peace, you should leave." While Alice talks, she steps closer to Jack and fearing violence that could bring an army of suits down on them, Hatter steps around the couch to grab Alice's hand. The simple gesture calms her immediately, her eyes closing and her breathing deepening in forced calm. Alice squeezes Hatter's and quickly and then lets go to motion Jack to the door, holding it open for Jack to walk through. He reaches for a hug and she steps back. "Goodbye Jack." He takes the hint and leaves, much to both Alice and Hatter's relief.

Alice returns to Hatter, finishing her wrap job and then tying off the linen and setting down the roll. She reaches for her tea, sweetened perfectly, and takes a small sip, testing the temperature. Finding it sufficiently cooled she drinks it all quickly and turns to Hatter.

"We should get out of town before everyone we know comes barging up to your door." Hatter agrees but can't shake the feeling that she wants to hurry to the Looking Glass because of what Jack said about her people.

He walks over to the bedroom, digs out a fresh, diagonally striped silk shirt, with chunky stripes of green and purple and gold covering over the bandages as he does up the buttons and tucks the shirt into his navy pants. He pulls on his yellow shoes and reached for a coat. With so many colors to choose from, he decides to go with his feelings and pulls on a dismal grey jacket, with a lot of pockets. He reaches for his porkpie hat, and settling it on his head and arranging a smile on his face, he heads out to see Alice. She smiles when she seen him, the same style but different elements. She wonders if he takes time to plan his outfits or if everything was just spur of the moment grab something cause everything matches. The look shouldn't have blended well, the warm and cool tones offsetting each other, but somehow, he pulls it off and looks magnificent. She reached for his hands, as they stand face to face in his living room, surrounded by medicines and empty tea cups. She squeezes his hands and looks into his eyes with hope.

"You ready to hit the trail Hatter?" Hatter swallows past the lump in his throat, the lump that tells him this is their last ride.

"Yeah, sure I'm ready, let's go see how Guinevere fared overnight." They walk, hand in hand to the door, where he motions for her to stay a second as he sticks his head out and looks around. Alice giggles behind him.

"I'm sure Jack has left already, no need to sneak around on his account." Hatter pulls his head back into the room, satisfied that they are safe.

"S'not Jack I'm worried about Alice. You're an oyster, and tea heads will do crazy things to get the pearls they think you have inside." Alice stops abruptly, mouth slightly open in shock. Her worry is appeased when Hatter takes her hand.

"It's only in the city that we need to be careful, more so in this building than any other. This is where they come for their teas, and if this place is out of commission, they'll be seriously anxious for a fix. Just stay close and we'll get Guinevere and get out of town before most of the tea heads are even conscious." Alice grips his wrist as they travel through the tea auction and back to his office. He unlocks the door to a sleepy Guinevere facing the door. He wonders if she had slept that way out of a feeling of danger, or if Dormie had been making a nuisance of himself. Hatter imagined that Dormie had surely snuck in when Jack had been admitted and is now likely hiding in the woodwork of the place. Hatter settles Guinevere's bridle over her head, as Alice lays the blanket on the horse's back. Hatter lifts the saddle onto the blanket and is securing the saddle when Alice reaches into the saddlebag. Hatter watches her pull the canteen out of the bag and move to fill it. Hatter smiles proudly.

"Smart thinking Alice, we probably won't need it, but it'll be a big help to Charlie, I'm sure." Alice smiles back, capping the canteen and placing it into the bag. They carefully lead Guinevere through the maze of a city back to the old shack she had first been holed up in. This area is close enough to the forests that they can mount from here. First Hatter helps Alice up, and then he slides up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, one hand on her hip, the other gripping the reins firmly. He nudges Guinevere in the ribs and they make their way silently out of the city without incident.


	17. TEEN Chapter 17

**D.- This one is for fairepeacock. I'm glad you like the mature chapters, I sure as heck enjoy researching them, and I aim to update often until I finish this story. Then it will be a short wait for the 'sequels' for lack of a better word.**

Once away from the harsh lines and precarious drops of the city, Alice relaxes into Hatter's embrace, watching the scenery, such that it was, as they plodded by. Alice runs her hands over Hatter's arm, tracing light patterns on his hand and under the sleeve of his shirt. She is thinking of their time together, the crazy, almost unfathomable lust she feels for this bruised but not broken man. She thinks back to the easy time they had in each other's presence. She has never hung around her previous boyfriends naked, always opting to get dressed and make up some excuse to get out of the bedroom, removing the temptation of sleep from her partner's plans. She is much too conservative to be comfortable letting it all hang out, but Hatter makes her feel safe, makes her feel free. She has never once felt shy or felt the need to protect herself from his roving eyes. She blushes as she remembers exactly how he looked at her as his eyes traveled over her in the men's pajama shirt.

Hatter can feel her change in mood, and like a flashlight finding him in the dark, he is caught up. He nestles his head into the crook of her neck and breathes in her scent, now smelling mostly of his own body wash. Knowing that his Alice smells like him makes him giddy with positive emotions, better than any tea high he had tried. He tightens his arm around her middle and when she turns her head to see him, he places a kiss on her jaw.

Alice wishes that this ride would last forever. As long as she has Hatter by her side, wrapped around her or inside her, she'll never feel alone again. Alice has filled the gaping chasm in her heart when her father remembered her and because of Hatter, she will get to bring him home to her mother, her glamorous, must-be-perfect everyday, just in case, mother. In ten years, her mother never did more than casually flirt with handsome men. She was always secretly waiting for her Robert to return. Alice lets a tear fall down her cheek as she imagines their reunion. She is fairly sure that her mom won't buy any bullshit story he tells her, and it's bound to be a battle, convincing her of the truth of Wonderland. Maybe her dad will ask to bring her here, when Jack is all settled into power and the city is made safe for humans.

The fallen tear reaches Hatter's cheek and he starts. Shifting the reins to the hand wrapped around Alice, he reaches up with his now free hand and wipes the tear away and frowns at it. Figuring that Alice is upset and feeling that they need to talk about her return to the human world, he slows the horse.

"Alice, you ok luv?" Alice, still thinking about her parents being reunited, looks back at him, her expression blank.

"Huh?" She didn't hear what Hatter had asked her, so she hopes he will repeat it. She is not disappointed.

"I felt a tear hit me. I just want to make sure you're ok." Alice smiles and wraps both her hands around the hand holding the reins.

"I was just thinking how happy my mom will be when she sees my dad again. Sure, she'll probably throw something at him, maybe even a fist, but once they have a chance to talk and he explains about Wonderland and being kidnapped, I'm sure she'll just wrap him in her arms and cry." Alice sighs wistfully. "The image brought a tear to my eye, that's all. I'm actually very fine right now. Thanks to you, I feel whole." Hatter nods pensively, actually feeling elated that she felt as complete as him, and nudges Guinevere back into motion.

"Alice…" Hatter pauses, looking away from her to get some courage when he spots a black clad figure on horseback, walking the same direction that they are heading in. He sighs. "Alice…" The second time he calls her name, the hopeless timbre of his voice makes Alice want to cry. She assumes that Hatter is going to tell her that she doesn't belong with him. She knows the "It's not you, it's me" speech better than most, she'd used the speech quite a few times, so she braces herself for the sting as Hatter takes a hurried breath to continue.

"Alice, I think we're being followed." Completely different from what she expected, she spins her head around, looking first to the left behind them, then to the right but Hatter stops her motion by snuggling his face into her neck again, whispering against her skin.

"Try not to look, but he's wearing a suit and walking in the same direction we are. He's up on the plateau to our left." Alice doesn't try to look over, completely uninterested in actually seeing their watcher. She is excited at the rush of feeling she gets from Hatter's lips brushing ever so lightly over her skin, the sensitive skin of her neck. She moans quietly.

"Do you think he's a threat, or just some poor suit Jack asked to follow us?" Alice rolls her head back and to the side, giving Hatter more room to play. Hatter takes advantage and places kisses from the back of her neck, up the cord of her neck to just behind her ear.

"My guess is some poor suit. Jack would want to make sure that you get to your destination without any…" Hatter bites down on her ear lobe before continuing through his teeth. "Distractions." He sucks the abused lobe into his mouth for a moment, and then runs his tongue up the shell of her ear. Alice can't hide the moan this causes. Hatter slides his free hand down her leg from hip to thigh and then back up, crossing over her stomach to squeeze her breast through her dress. The distance between them and the spy, combined with the fall of the velvet coat hides the discreet movement, but if the man were any closer, he would surely have heard Alice moan Hatter's name.

"Am I a distraction Alice?" Hatter waits with baited breath for the answer. He didn't mean to phrase the question that way and he knows that any answer she gives is probably heavily colored by her lust, but he needs to know exactly how she sees him, what their escapes mean in her eyes. Alice's eyes fly open and she can barely understand the question through the insane cloud of lust, but she can feel that this is a double edged sword. Hatter could have meant the question in a sexual sense, in which case, yeah, he distracts her constantly. Everything about him is doable, and he can't seem to keep his hands to himself, which definitely helps distract her. But she can't help but wonder if he is asking her something deeper. She knows that answering in the affirmative is not the answer he wants, and it's not the answer her heart wants to give him. She takes his hand away from her breast, lacing their fingers together and placing a kiss on his hand before laying the joined hands in her lap.

"You could never be a simple distraction Hatter." She takes a deep, lust-clearing breath and hears Hatter's sigh, hoping she answered right. "What do we do about our little follower?" Hatter smiles wickedly into her neck and places a chaste kiss to her jaw before replying.

"We can either try to race ahead and lose him since he won't be able to see us once we reach the canyon, or we can just let him keep following. He's probably bored and pissed at the future King for choosing him for the 'Not-so-secret job' of tailing us." Alice grips the reins in her hands tightly, the movement so minute that even Hatter missed it.

"Hold on tight Hatter." Hatter pulls his hat off his head and holds it in his hands after wrapping both arms around Alice's stomach. The movement will surely alert their guard, but he simply looks up and grins at the poor soul as his Alice races Guinevere across the open desert floor. Mere minutes later, they are safely tucked away in the canyon, but Alice doesn't slow. She continues to race the wind, with him holding on for the ride. Hatter can scarcely credit that this is the same Alice who had been scared of riding after the Prince's spooked horse made off with her. Pride and joy and love flow through his veins for the brave and wonderful woman in his arms.

As they near the other end of the canyon, Alice makes the horse slow a little, continuing at a canter until the canyon widens into a field. She stops the horse and looks up the hill to the Kingdom of the Knights. Despite her joy at being back at the camp, the place where she realized Hatter's interest and Jack's duplicity, she takes a deep breath, feeling the pang of sadness that this might be the last time she ever lays eyes upon the majestic ruins of the ancient city. Hatter rubs her thigh comfortingly, feeling the emotions in the air, the loss and despair.

"You ok luv?" Alice only smiles a watery smile and nudges Guinevere, who takes the path back to the Kingdom without guidance from Alice or Hatter. They share a look and then snuggle into each other for the rest of their short ride, both worried about the day ahead and that ever looming Looking Glass.


	18. Chapter 18

**D.- This one is for Looney, who wants a sequel. I'll get started as soon as I can, but I'm not sure which one to start with, Jack/Duchess or Hatter/Alice. If you review, first of all, I love you for it, and second of all, let me know which you're more interested to see. Just a heads up, the next chapter will have a sexy, lemony center. I am going to be unable to post for a few hours, but review anyway and I'll make sure this lemon leaves the others in the dust. Hot won't even come close to covering this one. *evil grin* Be back in about 5 hours, playing darts in a league.**

Upon arrival at the Kingdom, Hatter slides off of Guinevere, and then lifts his arms up for Alice, who flips a leg over and slides gratefully into his arms. She smiles a fond smile when she remembers the confused face Hatter had developed immediately after helping her down from the ladder when they left his office. She hadn't been too sure of this man at first, this savior of people from her world, but she quickly grew to rely on him, and he has proved to her, time and time again, that he can be counted on to save her, even from herself. She looks into his eyes and opens her mouth to say it, to thank him and tell him exactly what she feels for him when the suit breaks into the clearing. Frustrated at his terrible luck with interruptions in this place, he shoots the man a menacing look. The suit stops his horse immediately, his horse breathing heavily from the exertion. Dismounting, he makes a small bow towards Alice, who had turned in Hatter's arms to face him.

"Can I help you?" Her tone is angry and disdainful and the suit is apparently unfazed.

"I am here to escort you back to the looking glass as soon as your errands have been made." Alice pulls out of Hatter's arms quickly, walking up to the suit as he steps back in shock. Alice steps around him in a half circle, observing his posture and attitude as she remarks:

"You know I could disable you faster than you can reach for your gun." Alice continues walking around him in a predatory fashion, which upsets Hatter. "In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I have disabled more suits in the past few days than you could believe." She can't see into the suits eyes because of his sunglasses, but she looks fiercely into her own reflection as she speaks clearly in her best commanding tone. "I want you to return to the Prince, tell him if he doesn't leave me alone to do as I please, I will not return to the Looking Glass at all. I told him personally that I would return when finished, and Hatter is all the protection and company I need if and when I return." The suit stands taller.

"I'm under direct orders to keep an eye on things." He shoots a look at Hatter, which sets Alice's blood afire. She doesn't get her snarky reply out fast enough and the suit continues. "Upon completion of the unspecified errands, I am to signal for a scarab to fetch us back to the hall so that we might begin sending the oysters home." Alice feels a pang of guilt for holding everything up, but she needs some time, just to unwind and let herself decide. She needs to find out how Hatter feels about her, she wants to discuss a future together. She does not need some hoity-toity suit messing up her plans. She smiles disarmingly and asks the suit.

"And just how do you signal the scarab then? My errand was to return the horse to her master. Her master isn't here so once she's settled; I'll be ready to go." Hatter stands straight and still, shock and dismay filling his eyes as they search out Alice's. The suit nods and pulls out his device, walking away from camp, whispering some words into it. Alice looks over at Hatter and winks. Unsure of her plan, he turns to grab the horse and lead her to the loosely termed 'Stable'. There, he doesn't unsaddle her or anything of the sort, but he does make sure she has some hay and plenty of water nearby that she can enjoy.

While Hatter and the suit both have their backs to her, Alice grabs the drawing paper that Charlie had near his bed, tears a sheet off and tucks it and a pen into her coat. She also takes advantage of the coils of rope leftover from Jack's last visit and tucks them into the sleeve of her coat. When Hatter returns to the center of the camp, he sees the suit returning from his call and Alice waiting patiently by the throne.

"Lady Alice, they will bring the scarab down in that field." He points just over the hill where Hatter had found her after his return. "They anticipate arrival in less than 5 minutes." Alice smiles and gestures for the suit to lead. She waits for Hatter, her arm outstretched and when he catches her up, he takes her hand. She smiles wickedly, whispering "Be ready" and they follow the suit. Arriving in the clearing, Alice thanks the suit for his service and asks him wish Jack well. When the suit tilts his head quizzically, she lunges out at him, grabbing him in a wrist lock, twisting behind him and placing him in a sleep hold. Hatter watches, fascinated, as the suit seems to die in her tiny, almost fragile-looking arms. Once out for the count, Alice releases him and pulls out the ropes.

"He's not dead Hatter, just unconscious. He'll wake up with a hell of a headache, but otherwise fine." She tosses one rope to Hatter. "Tie his legs together and be quick. If he wasn't exaggerating about the speed of the scarab, we'll have company soon." Hatter does as he is bid and when he looks up from his completed task, he sees Alice writing a quick note. Folding it up, she writes the Prince's name on the paper. Hatter is about to ask about it when he sees something move out of the corner of his eye. There, on the very edge of his field of vision, somewhere over the field of shrubs, the scarab has materialized. Hatter calls out to Alice and points to the machine. Alice pushes the suit over onto his side, slips the paper into his mouth and then runs at Hatter, taking his hand and running towards the Chess Village.

They make it into the cover of the trees a minute or two before the scarab lands. They stay. Hidden, where they can just make out the field where the unconscious suit is laying. They watched two suits step off the scarab, take up defensive lookout positions and motion someone down. A club steps off and approaches the fallen man, pulling the note out of his mouth, but unwilling to open it. He waves over to the scarab and Alice smiles evilly with she recognizes Jack stepping off the ramp. He takes the note from the club and unfolds it. Hatter, unable to control his curiosity anymore, looks over at Alice.

"What did you write in that note Alice?" She smiles as she repeats the words she had quickly scrawled to her ex.

'If you couldn't take me, what made you think that a suit could? I'll get there when I get there Jack. –Alice'

Alice and Hatter see Jack crumple the note and motion his lookouts over to help the fallen suit onboard. All the suits step into the scarab and Jack stalks off toward the Kingdom. Just after entering the scarab, the two lookouts race back out, trailing after their Prince. Hatter backs up slowly, careful not to stand and ruffle the leaves of their cover. He places his hands on the small of Alice's back and her hip, keeping her crouched as she turns to look at him. He holds a finger to his lips for silence and then takes her hand and leads her away from the Kingdom, off toward the forest they had been lost in.

They can't jump the canyon, but they do continue on the path that Jack had meant to use to lead Alice to her father. They walk hand in hand through the Chess Village, no words needed to absorb the beauty of the carved limestone. Alice smiles over at Hatter, who is busy watching the sky for more scarabs. She laughs and punches him in the arm, pulling her hand away.

"Lighten up Hatter; they can't see us through the canopy." He rubs his arm childishly and then reaches for her hand. He watches as she takes off behind a giant rook and he lets out a bark of laughter and races after her, the playful game of tag a fun diversion for both from their impending separation.

Jack reaches the campsite with his men right behind him. He begins to shout for Alice, but receives no reply. Nonplussed and convinced Alice is hiding somewhere in the area, he has his men spread out to find her. He looks down as he hears a stick snap and sees the stick that the con man had tried to threaten him with. He can still remember the sight of Alice separating them, her hair flying, eyes blazing in righteous indignation at their Neanderthal-like behavior. He laughs to himself, certain that Alice could have taken both of them on, at once, with their weapons, and still have won. He figures that a common boy with a stick is no real threat, but a sword could do some decent damage in a fight.

One of his men steps back into the area, a distinct shake of his head telling him Alice is not to be found in that direction. Jack points off in another direction and the suit leaves again to go find her. Jack wanders through the covered 'building' and sits gingerly on the bed. He wonders briefly if Alice had spent the night here if the men she was with would have been chivalrous enough to give her the bed. He worries for a moment about Alice running around with that tea peddler. He may have realized his feelings for Alice had in fact all been false, and that he had no interest in pursuing her romantically, but the hatter is still as common as they come and he may intend to use her against him. He is brought out of his musings as his communicator beeps and he pulls it out of his pocket speaking brusquely.

"Report." He is expecting a message from one of his men, claiming they have found Alice, but it is the club from the scarab, calling him to relay a message from the Duchess.

"Sir, The Duchess wished me to inform you that Mr. Hamilton has finished compiling the list of addresses and is waiting for you to return with the ring to restart the Looking Glass." Jack rolls his eyes at the Duchess' impatience with a small, fond smile. He depressed the button to reply.

"Inform the Duchess that Mr. Hamilton will surely want his daughter to be the first of the oysters through and as she is currently lost in the Wonderland forests. It is my duty to see her returned to him safely and I will return quickly when she is found." The club relays the Prince's message to the Duchess, who looks taken aback and fears that Jack may still be infatuated with the Lady Alice. Determined to help, she heads off to go find Mr. Hamilton and hear his opinions on the matter.

Jack replaces the communicator in his pocket when the first man returns again, his head shaking negatively as he approaches.

"I've searched all the surrounding areas and bridges sire, there's no sign of anyone having traveled in or out. There is a horse in stable building, saddled and ready to leave, a full canteen of water in the bag, but otherwise, no sign of anyone having ever been in the area." Jack frowns and then realizes that the other suit has yet to return, so they both go off in his initial direction to find him. They follow some footsteps across a moss covered bridge, clearly steps leaving the safety of the Kingdom, and after following the steps, first this way and then that, they almost stumble into a very deep pit. It isn't very wide, and at the bottom, there is an unconscious suit. Jack is now doubly worried that Alice is in danger and curses himself for letting her stay with that wretched tea peddler.


	19. MATURE Chapter 19

**D.- Holy jeez, I'm still here. This has been a very busy week. I signed up to beta for a future Twilight story, Jasper/Bella, my favorite pairing, and it is quite the read so far. I'm not giving any details until it's posted, but I will make a mention of it, when the time comes. I apologize for the long time I took between chapters. We had a death in the family, a well loved uncle exactly a year after his daughter. He is survived by a very strong wife and she will be foremost in my life for the foreseeable future. Of course, I prefer to lose myself in this story when I have any free time because I love it! Also, I go back to work Saturday night and for the week after, I will be a VERY tired little muffin. Posts will likely be slowed during that time. Anyway, the story was all written and separated into chapters, but then I decided to throw the mother of all fuck-hot lemons in here, because all of my readers liked my mature chapters so much! So for all of you, I bring this extra long lemon filled chapter! I will catch up on my "post a chapter for new reviewers" this morning before bed if I can, if not, first thing upon waking tomorrow. Enjoy! **

Hatter races after Alice, running around the base of the large chess piece, trying to see where she has gone in the waist high grass. The grass is still shaking to his right so he heads off in that direction, keeping his eyes peeled for the rich purple velvet. He takes a chance and ducks around a large, black bishop piece and finds her presses flat against it. She squeals and laughs as she tries to take off from her hiding spot, but Hatter grabs her around the waist and pulls her back to press her flush against his chest. When the hard contact forces her breath out in a whoosh, Hatter presses a kiss to the back of her neck and whispers in her ear.

"If you can catch me, my lovely oyster, I'll let you wear my hat." Hatter turns her around to face him, spinning her quickly to set her off balance just slightly. He grabs her face in both of his hands, presses a firm kiss to her lips and grins. "But what are the odds of that says I!" Hatter winks as he darts away, but Alice is quick to recover. Smiling absurdly wide, she chases him around tree trunks and giant marble chess pieces for a few minutes before finding a most welcome sight.

Hatter is stuck in a dead end, a fallen knight blocking the path ahead. He turns to face Alice as she slows down in front of him. She looks to both sides, seeing that trees and tall bushes block either side, the only two gaps big enough to get through are both behind her. With a predatory smile and a decidedly sexy swagger, Alice calmly walks up to Hatter, slides her hands up his chest, behind his neck, one hand pulling him close for a kiss as the other removes his hat just as their lips meet. They hardly do more than touch before Hatter pulls back in shock of losing his hat. Alice sets his hat on her own head, winks at him exaggeratedly and dashes off.

Hatter follows along her path with a slower pace but keener eyes. He is hoping that Alice will decide to hide rather than run even farther ahead of him. He knows she wants to get caught, and it's a pity she doesn't know what's going to happen when he does catch up to her. He comes around chess pieces and trees and bushes, catching sight of just the edge of her coat as she flees his sight. He slows his pace just a little more and after following the swaying grass all the way around the base of a pawn, he notices the stillness and can't see Alice anywhere. He can still feel her presence; can almost taste her in the air. He listens carefully for her heavy breathing, but there is nothing. He spreads the grass in front of him with his arms, watching for any sign of her. He spots some purple behind a large boulder. Hatter smiles wickedly, a seductive twinkle in his eyes as he calls out:

"Alice, luv, I know you're here, I can feel you." He strides purposefully over to the boulder, careful not to spook her, his eyes on that little sliver of purple. When he is close enough, he reaches an arm out, with the aim of pulling her to him by the waist. The limp velvet coat is all he pulls back this time. He hears a quick rustle behind him, but he takes his time turning, wanting to prolong the game of cat and mouse.

He places the coat on the boulder and looks around, trying to figure out her location logically. He decides she couldn't have made it back around the pawn in so little time. She might have run away through the trees, but he is certain she wants to be caught, just to see what he has planned. There were no other options. He keeps his eyes on the scene as he backs up to check that she's not hiding behind the boulder and he catches the rustling of the leaves near the pawn. She must be crouching at the base, hidden by the tall grass. Hatter grins and meanders over to stand right in front of her. He looks down to meet her eyes and she just smiles innocently from beneath his hat's brim.

"You're going to take the hat back now, aren't you?" Hatter groans softly as the sad pout of her lips makes him remember the feel of them, wrapped around the base of his cock. It twitches in appreciation of the mental image. Hatter just slips his hands under her arms and lifts her up to stand before him, pushing her back to lean on the chess piece's base. She hisses as the cold marble stone makes contact with her bare shoulders but he is still looking at her hungrily.

"I don't think I will Alice. The way I see it, you caught me once and took me hat, but I've caught you twice now. I think I should be entitled to two articles, don't you?" Alice, unsure of where his plan was headed, nods. The thought of Hatter taking two articles of clothing from her is making her wary, but incredibly turned on. She runs the possibilities through her head, each more sexy than the last. Hatter, wanting to play a little more, reaches one hand out to gently rub her shoulder with his knuckles, a finger sliding under the dress. "Which two should I ask for Alice? I caught you, now what are you going to offer me?" He smirks at her, a crooked smile that makes her knees go weak and her blood heat up. She can hear the arousal in his voice, and against her own better judgment, she looks down, seeing his arousal tenting his navy pants. Her eyes grow heavy with desire and she has to swallow hard before she can reply.

"Well I've already taken off my coat…" Hatter shakes his head, his other hand sliding from her thigh up to the hem of her dress. He slides the tip of his finger back and forth, just below the edge of her dress. The sensation is maddening for Alice, almost itching, but the passion between them keeps her from having to scratch. If she is honest, she has other itches at the current moment in time that she wants Hatter to scratch.

"I don't think the coat counts luv; see you weren't wearing it when I caught you." He trails his hand down her arm and takes her hand in his, kissing the back of her hand. He doesn't look up from the kiss or make any kind of eye contact as he replies, his voice as low and gravelly as she'd ever heard it. "I'll take your tights, and those adorable blue lace panties of yours." Alice straightens, looking about for anyone who might see them.

"And you want them here and know I guess?" She lifts her hands to the hem of her dress, about to comply but Hatter catches them, lifting her hands up to place and hold the palms of her hands against the cool marble on either side of her head.

"I said I'll take them Alice, not that you should give them to me. Keep very still for me, and I'll make it really good for ya." Alice nods and Hatter shoots her a look. "Very still Alice, I mean it." He leans into her, pressing his clothed erection against her hip. Alice closes her eyes, and resists the urge to shift her hips and bring him into contact with her center. Hatter kisses her jaw and neck as his hands trail lightly down her arms, across her shoulders and down to cover her breasts through her dress. Alice wants to press her chest into his hands, but represses the urge, curious to see what Hatter plans to do. He gives each breast some tender attention for a moment before he continues his downward path, both hands coming together as they glide over her stomach and then spreading out to her hips as he kneels before her. When he passes the hem of her dress, he squeezes her thighs a little before sliding his hands back up to her hips, under the dress.

Alice tries to look down into his eyes, but with him now kneeling before her, she doesn't want him to stop if she tilts her head down to see his movements. Closing her eyes to remove the temptation, she focuses on feeling what he's doing to her instead. His hands were holding up her dress and she feels his mouth blow hot air through the layers over her mound. She moans at the feeling, the rush of hot and the quick but gradual cooling, leaving her aching for more. She feels him press a kiss to her hip, just above the top of her tights and the feel of his soft, warm lips on her bare skin, so close to where she wants him, makes her wants to buck her hips. Alice calls on all of her restraint not to move, teeth worrying her lip and hands curling against the marble.

She can feel Hatter's lips and nose sliding around her hips, and she can almost make out the feel of his teeth as he nibbles along her panty line. She is so concerned with the myriad of feelings he's creating, as well as trying to keep her focus on keeping still, that she doesn't register her panties and tights coming down. When she does, she looses a frustrated moan and Hatter squeezes her hips in warning as he continues down. Alice's mind realizes that Hatter is pulling down her undergarments but his hands are still on her hips and it hits her like a truck: He's using his teeth! Her mind short circuits and Alice mutters his name, her eyes closing as she tries to remember her breathing, a technique to keep herself calm and in control.

Hatter gets her garments down to her knees before he uses his hands to push them down to mid calf. He quickly, thanks to some strange maneuvering and Alice's inattention, positions himself between her and her panties. He doesn't want to waste time taking off her boots and things, so he is just going to torture her. Afterwards, Hatter wants to take her with her boots on, a thought that had been consuming his mind since their first go around. From his position, kneeling beneath Alice, his legs tucked between hers and his head in front of her hips, he once more drags his hands up to hold her dress out of the way.

The sudden touch startles Alice and she starts but Hatter lets it slide because she makes no further movement. He nestles his cheek against her thigh, his stubble scratching just lightly. He trails his nose into the small next of curls, breathing her intoxicating scent.

"Alice, you smell delicious. Would you mind terribly if I had a taste?" His smile is evident to Alice, even without looking down. She nods her head but Hatter doesn't move. When she cracks her eyes open, Hatter is smiling devilishly, waiting. "I want you to tell me Alice, I want to hear those gorgeous lips of yours give me permission to fuck you with my tongue." Alice fights back a shiver, taking a deep breath before trying to speak.

"Okay." Her voice is very quiet and more than a little breathy so she tries again. "Okay Hatter, I want you to taste me. Please." Hatter nods and starts with a light kiss, right along the joint of her thigh. He trails his unmoving lips across her mound to kiss the other side, and then drags them back again, placing light kisses all over her hub. His kisses begin to get wetter, his tongue pressing into her wet flesh between his moving lips and Alice gasps at each new sensation. He begins to swirl his tongue in a small circle each time he presses his lips to hers, making Alice moan aloud. Hatter decides to up the game, kissing her clit and then spreading his lips wide to expose the bundle of nerves under her hood. His tongue has free access and he makes the most of it each time he repeats the action, sliding his thick, wet tongue across, around and over the tiny nub, making Alice's voice break mid-moan.

Hatter slides his tongue from the clit down to her opening. The scrape of his chin's stubble over her skin followed by the gentle wetness of his tongue makes her skin sing with pleasure. She's getting close from just his teasing when she feels his tongue licking the lower rim of her hole like a cat laps at milk in a bowl. Each short little lick makes her hole tighten in anticipation, but he's content to lick at her for a while. Finally, unable to stand the torture, she begs.

"Hatter! Ohh, please, fuck me! That tongue of yours is driving me- Ahgh!" Hatter plunges his tongue in as far and as hard as he can, effectively cutting her off. Alice, unable to take anymore, twists her hands into her hair, gripping tightly and holding herself back from any other movement. Hatter continues to tongue fuck his sweet, lovely Alice until he can feel her inner walls clenching around his tongue as she screams his name savagely. He wiggles his tongue a little more, prolonging her orgasm, and making her cry his name again. He finally pulls out his tongue and leans back to look up at her euphoric face when he notices her hands have moved.

"Alice!" He says, his voice rife with false shock. "You moved your hands! I specifically told you not to move, and now, I'm going to have to punish you." He watches Alice's eyes change from sated to aroused instantly as thoughts of her possible punishments run unchecked through her head. Hatter, however, has other plans. He slides his hands around her hips to cup her ass cheeks, slightly cooled by the large piece of marble she's been pressed against.

He straightens himself into a standing position, pulling her up and wrapping her around his waist. He carries her over to the boulder where her jacket is and asks her to spread it out on the rock behind her. He sets her on the boulder, a foot or so off the ground and instructs her to lie back on the coat. "Since you moved your arms, I'm going to give them a new position. A new job if you will. Bring those two hands down here to hold your dress up for me love"

Alice does as she is bid, sliding her hands down as Hatter plunges two fingers into her moist cavern. Alice grips her dress in her hands, moaning against Hatter's sudden intrusion. She is still soaking wet from her earlier orgasm, her juices sliding down his hand and her leg as his rhythmic ministrations bring her closer to that impending orgasm once again. If this is punishment, she's never do anything right again. Hatter drives her up, his hand alternating between scissoring open and curling up into her g-spot. Her mewls of pleasure are getting longer, and louder and Hatter can see that her stomach is tightening, preparing to release again. He pulls his fingers out, running his palm over her thigh, leaving a bewildered Alice to look up at him. He just smiles wickedly and Alice's head collapses back to the rock in frustration. As soon as he is sure she can't see him, he angles his body to the left, leaving lots of room for his right hand.

Alice is cursing her luck when Hatter's right hand slides in, slowly the first time, making Alice moan and look up. She notices that he's using the other hand but as soon as he moves, all thought is driven from her brain. He pounds his two fingers into her so deep and so fast, she feels like he's using a jack hammer. He's relentless and Alice is soon moaning like a porn star. She sounds fake, even to her own ears but she can't care enough to try and stop it. There's no time to think, to collect her thoughts, to do anything but scream his name as she comes violently against him. She is out of breath and her whole body is quivering as she comes back to earth.

Hatter has removed his hand and is watching her for signs of discomfort. Alice smiles at him, feeling sated and used, but only in a good way. She flexes her muscles there and notices some slight discomfort. Hatter sees her small frown and guilt floods his face. He tries to apologize, but Alice is quick to reassure him.

"Hatter, I've never done that sort of thing. My experiences weren't particularly passionate in the past and that was just...amazing. Of course I'm going to be a little sore, but every little twinge will also make me so wet for you baby, that I might not be able to resist jumping you." Hatter doesn't look convinced so Alice crooks a finger at him to beckon him forward. When he steps forward and places a gentle kiss on her lips, Alice slips a hand down to grasp his semi-erect cock through his pants. His eyes widen and he opens his mouth to speak, but Alice just sneaks her tongue in and makes him forget all about his arguments. She breaks away from the kiss for a second to whisper against his jaw. "I need access to your cock." Hatter is quick to open his belt and pants and pull them down with his boxers, but Alice doesn't wait for him to get them out of the way before pulling his cock to her entrance. Hatter looks into her eyes, checking for fear or discomfort. He can just as easily give her a rest and let his passion die down on its own. He doesn't want to use her body. He only ever wants to please her.

"Are you sure love?" Alice adores this man, so eager to please her, but mindful of her comfort. She nods and bites her lip in anticipation. She is still so tender and sensitive; this is going to be one extraordinary fuck. Hatter still hasn't moved, so Alice explains.

"Hatter, you gave me your amazing mouth, then your phenomenal hands. Now, when I'm so sensitive that the air blowing by is getting me hot, I want your cock, hard and smooth to finish me off. Besides Hatter, weren't you going to teach me a lesson?" She grins up at him cockily and Hatter realizes she wants this for them both, not just to please him. Lining himself up, he casts one last heartfelt look into her eyes.

"Please tell me if I hurt you and I'll stop right away." Alice agrees, smiling.

"I promise baby." He thrusts home in one deep push, Alice moaning his name. Hatter pauses, doubts taking over again and Alice tries to put the feeling into words. "It's indescribable baby. I'm so sensitive that I feel the small shifts every time we breathe. I've never felt anything this intense before. Oh please, Hatter, please!" She is rocking her hips against his still ones to encourage him to move and when he does, she thrusts back instinctively to meet him, pushing him deeper than his fingers could reach, rubbing all of his length against her enflamed g-spot. She screams as they thrust against each other, over and over and Hatter reaches down to rub her clit. The very first touch sends her over the edge, her walls clamping down on him, making it harder to thrust but making it feel so much better for him.

The image of his Alice coming apart while wearing his hat and screaming his name would live in his memories forever. Alice continues to thrust her hips up in time to meet him, her walls closing around him tightly, and Hatter knows he isn't long from ecstasy. Alice slides her hands up his shirt, sliding one hand around his neck to pull him to her for a kiss.

She contracts against him once more before she whispers "Cum for me, my Hatter." Their lips meet and then he empties himself into her warm body, his scream swallowed by her greedy mouth. He leans over her, resting up from their exhaustions and she wraps her arms around him, completely spent. A few minutes later, Hatter moves to step away, careful to step over the bunched up tights stretched between Alice's knees. As soon as he does up his pants, he pulls a handkerchief from his inner coat pocket and hands it to Alice after helping her down from the boulder. She smiles gratefully and steps around the boulder to clean herself up. After folding up the handkerchief to keep the wetness inside, she pulls up her undergarments and surveys her clothing. No stains or smudges visible and only a little creasing, which no one should notice. Feeling confident, she steps out to meet Hatter, who is now leaning against a tree, holding her jacket. He holds it out to help her into it, and then wraps his arms around her.

"You're not too cold are you? I never even thought about you not having your coat on and the sun not getting to us under the canopy." Alice just smiles sleepily.

"Me? I'm downright perfect at the moment. Nothing is wrong in the whole world." Saying that brings to mind the hundreds of humans from her side of the mirror, still waiting on her. She doesn't mean to keep them waiting, she's just got to make Jack understand that she doesn't belong to him and he can't rule her life. She never meant to spend the afternoon letting Hatter take her against every available surface in the chess village, but she regrets nothing. She takes his hand and they walk along the trails of bent grass they'd created with their earlier games. As they walk, calmly and peacefully trying to remember how to get back to some reasonably recognizable scenery, Alice slips the hat off her head and places it crookedly on Hatter's messy hair. He makes a big show of adjusting it this way and that before simply tapping it into place and grinning at Alice, swinging her around and into his chest by their joined hands. He places a kiss on her nose, his huge, infectious smile spreading to her lips before he claims them. Alice curls into his side as they break the gentle, loving kiss and they walk slowly through the forest, coming out in the field they had started in.


	20. Chapter 20

**D.- First in a series of 4 chapters coming. This one is posted for a reviewer named Beezy. I know it's been an appalling 3 days since you reviewed for me and if my life weren't just absolutely crazy, you'd have had your chapter up immediately that day. Here is where people need to learn to communicate. Read on and see how communication might have changed this story.**

Like a switch has flipped in her head, she suddenly sees the only way she can be with Hatter. She needs to return through the Looking Glass with her father and explain where she went, how she found him and, most importantly, that she has to return. She will explain to her mother that she had met a man in Wonderland, a man so perfect for her that she needs to return to him. Her mom would cry and fuss, but so long as she holds her ground, her father will help persuade her that she was going to be in good hands.

Alice can see vividly, in her mind's eye, her parents coming through the Looking Glass when everything is settled here, visiting her in Hatter's apartment. They could convert the tea shop into a dojo and she could teach her martial arts here, trading lessons for any goods they needed to keep a home. Alice blinked as Hatter squeezed her side, looking down at her glassy expression. Excited by her new found goal and eager to see it through, she pulls him down to her lips, giving him a chaste kiss and mumbling against his lips.

"We need to get to the Looking Glass now." Hatter feels like the world just dropped out beneath his feet. Here he is, frolicking with the woman he loves, and she wants to leave him. He can recall all of his previous lovers doing much the same, taking what they wanted from him: sex, teas, attention, even shelter before disappearing from his life with no care for his feelings. He had fought his attraction to Alice, knowing from the very start that she didn't belong in his world, knowing that as soon as she found her boyfriend, she'd run back home. But he couldn't help but fall for Alice, with her single minded determination to find the man she'd come for. Her bravery in facing down Dodo to save him from the Resistance's clutches burned an image of her directly onto his heart. He tried valiantly to make her see straight; to make her see that she was in danger by staying and that Jack wasn't worth her life. She stuck to her guns and his heart ached for that kind of devotion, for the person who would choose him over their own wants and needs.

Alas, Alice had tricked him, getting herself brought right into the dragon's lair when she sought out Mad March. He was lucky that Charlie insisted on helping him, or he never would have found her, in her head of all places. The moment she got on the Flamingo, his heart recognized what her heart didn't understand. He felt her trust and spent the rest of his time fighting to show her it wasn't misplaced. All the adventures, all the memories, all their time together would never be enough for him if she left. He can feel his heart breaking but puts on a brave face, his cheerful mask, crafted through the years to hide life's major disappointments.

"Alright then, how would you like to get there? Want to head back over and see if Prinny's scarab is still handy? We could re-borrow Guinevere for a while and I can return her later." Alice is trying to figure the best way to get to the hall and get this over with. She hates to sit and wait when she has a plan of action.

"I bet Jack hasn't left yet. The scarab would be fastest, I suppose." Alice turns to head back to the field, but Hatter doesn't move. She steps forward, reaching out to touch his face but he catches her hand instead, feeding her a tight smile and striding purposefully towards the location of the scarab. As they step out from under the shade of trees, they can't help but notice the very large scarab still parked where it had been when they left. Hatter wants to convince Alice that she doesn't need to go, that Jack will give up and he'll send the other oysters home, but he knows the look in her eyes. She won't back down, she won't give up and she'll only resent any argument trying to dissuade her. As they each take a deep breath, Alice filled with hope and Hatter with dread, they see another scarab headed their way. Alice grins at Hatter.

"If we can flag them down, we can get a ride without having to admit to Jack that we needed his help getting back." She grabs his hand and pulls him down the hill, waving madly to get the attention of the pilot. When the reverse thrusters kick into gear to stop and spin the giant metal beetle around, Alice grips his arm tightly, a triumphant grin gracing her lips. Hatter's breath catches in his lungs at the sight. The air swirls around them and Alice pulls herself into his jacket, hiding her face from the whipping wind. Hatter grabs his hat, holding it down as his other arm tightens around Alice. When the scarab lands, the door opens to the sight of Alice's father and the beautiful Duchess welcoming them on board.

Alice hugs her father, immensely pleased that he cares enough to come find her and even more enthusiastic about sharing her idea with him. Duchess walks over to the pilot, using the communicator to relate to Jack's scarab the events that have unfolded. When the Club informs her that Jack is still out on foot, she tells him to find him and relay the message immediately. She makes sure to include how disappointed the Prince would be if he found out that he was wasting time looking for the Lady Alice when she had already been found and was being brought back. The club, recognizing the truth of her words, calls him immediately.

"Sir, they've picked up Lady Alice and her …friend. If you would return to the scarab sir, we'll venture back to the Looking Glass hall immediately." Jack fishes his communicator out, replying quickly.

"We'll be there shortly; we're still trying to fish Nine out of a pit." With only that brief message, the club is left to wait, with only the pilot and an unconscious man for company.

Alice smuggles her father off to the side room to explain her plan.

"-And so if I can take you back to mom, we can explain about Wonderland, and when she's calmed down enough to believe us, I'm going to come back, to be with him." Robert looks confused for a minute.

"I think you may be forgetting about the Duchess. Jack is a Prince and probably has to marry into nobility." Alice looks at him like he's lost his mind. She begins to wave her hands back and forth in a gesture of refusal.

"I don't care who Jack is supposed to marry, I'm coming back for Hatter." Robert settles his hand on her hand carefully, afraid of her rejection. When she only looks at him, he ventures his opinion.

"It's great to have plans Alice, but don't stake your life on it yet. Head home to see your mother and after all this settles, you'll be able to look at things objectively." Alice puts her hand on his, looking into his face, the face she had missed and searched for during most of their 10 years apart.

"I know what I need Daddy." Robert's heart warms and he pulls her into a hug. Alice and Robert's disappearance leaves Hatter in the underdressed company of the Duchess and her pilot. He notes that they have no suits on board, and comment about it.

"How is it that you have no suits guarding you but Jackie-boy has to have three?" The Duchess turns to him, her eyebrow rising slightly. Hatter assumes she is judging his clothes but doesn't take offense; her sense of style obviously leans toward cheap and easy instead of his well-tailored chaos. When she speaks, her voice is the perfect mask of indifference.

"Jack will be King someday. He could be targeted for assassination, or attacked by tea heads or any other terrible thing at anytime. It only makes sense to protect him." Hatter catches the underlying worry in her words.

"I get that you care for him, but I don't see why you aren't protected as well. I thought you two were going to, you know, get married and rule or whatever…?" The Duchess smiles a sad smile and shakes her head.

"He still thinks I don't care for him and that I am only after his crown. He'll never understand that I only did what I had to do to survive at court." Hatter can hear the ring of truth in her words, the words bringing to mind his own acts at court. He reaches over and lays his arm around her shoulder in a gesture of friendship.

"I never thought that anyone would see past the horrible things I had done. But one day, Alice was ushered into my life and she made me want to be better, made me want to change and live my life properly. I had to fight against some very low opinions and her steadfast determination to save Jack, but in the end, she came around. I may not get to keep her forever, but I'm glad I stuck to it. I'm glad she changed me." The Duchess smiles and wipes a perfectly manicured finger under her eye to catch a tear.

"That's the most incredible advice anyone has ever given me." She looks down at her court approved ensemble and runs a hand through her too big hair. "This isn't me you know. And I think it's time to be the person I wanted to be all along. If Jack doesn't like it, well tough! Thank you." She turns and gives him a brief hug before turning back to the window, noting that they are almost there. Hatter knocks on the door to the side room, stepping in when he hears Alice call out.

"We're almost to the Looking Glass Alice." She smiles gratefully and follows him back out to the cockpit. The wide glass window reveals the Looking Glass Hall, tall with jagged edges and millions of windows. Alice takes Hatter's hand in hers and practically beams out the window. Only the Duchess notices the look of complete desolation in Hatter's eyes. Her heart breaks for his obviously unrequited love.


	21. Chapter 21

**D.- Here we go guys and gals, chapter 2 in my four part catch up collection. This one is for ****Putting the hatter into Mad. I love your name and I'm just so pleased that you find this story so entertaining. I am the first to admit, this is not the most interesting chapter, but it holds a lot of subtle hints and foreshadowing, so be on the lookout. Enjoy!**

As soon as the scarab lands, the Duchess shows them into a parlor with herbal tea and biscuits, bidding them make themselves comfortable. Alice sits with her father, resuming their talk of their plans to return while Duchess fusses with the libations. Hatter, his heart constricting painfully, clutches his chest. When Alice notices, he laughs it off, motioning her to stay sitting,

"Duchess here can show me to a medic to look me over. Stay and chat with your dad Alice." Duchess nods quickly.

"I'll be sure he's in the best hands and if he needs you, I'll send for you immediately." Alice looks torn but Hatter puts on his best grin, looks her in the eyes and says the words that had broken his heart the first time he said them.

"You kidding? I'll be fine." Duchess walks ahead of him, opening the door as he steps out of the room without glancing back at Alice, lest all his strength fail him and he collapse into a wretched ball of tears. The Duchess closes the door behind him and directs him to walk to the left for the medic. Without taking a single step, he sighs and explains himself.

"Look, I appreciate your help in getting me out of there without complications, but I don't really need a medic. The pain I'm feeling can't be solved with potions or bandages. I just needed to clear my head a little, steel my courage before she says goodbye." Duchess touches his arm gently.

"Good luck with that Hatter. Feel free to wander about but don't wander too long, Jack will return and insist she's the first one through the Glass." Hatter smiles gratefully and walks along the curved corridor, coming to a small alcove beneath a set of stairs. Sure he's clear of Duchess's line of vision, he settles himself underneath, nice and tight and safe and lets the tears roll down his cheeks silently as he remembers all the beautiful moments he shared with Alice. He decides to commit them to his memory forever, the only thing he will get to keep of her.

Duchess watches the poor man walk until he rounds the bend and then turns and dashes into her room. She tears her apartment up trying to find something in this whole ridiculous collection of clothes that she actually likes and wants to wear. Leaving all the midriff baring gowns laying on the floor, she reaches back and finds a pair of black slacks. They have some shiny pattern worked into the hip, but are otherwise very appropriate for her new look. She strips out of her dress and digs out a pair of her lovely strappy sandals, complete with a little shiny rhinestone bow.

Changing into the pieces she tries valiantly to find a blouse or any type of shirt that would present her new, self-respecting, age and title appropriate taste in clothing but comes up empty handed. She steps through her connecting door and into Jack's room and pulls a tuxedo shirt from his closet, stark white and clearly much too wide in the shoulders. She sneaks it into her room and calls for the seamstress. When the woman arrived, Duchess sets her to work making the large men's shirt acceptable for her to wear temporarily and promises her a permanent position as her personal seamstress if she can patch it together fast enough that it will be ready when she has finished combing out her hair and removing most of her makeup. The woman looks mystified, but quickly slips her hands into the shirt, flipping it inside out and sliding it onto the Duchess. A few pins later, the woman pulls it back off and rushes away with the piece.

Duchess steps into the bathroom, pulls a brush through her hair and then secures her hair in a tight ponytail. Finding that style too serious, she then pulls her hair to either side, near her ears and braids it down. She uses some pins to secure the braids across the crown of her head but finds it incompatible with the outfit she has in mind. Frustrated, she shakes out the braids and flings her hair to one side of her head. Along with her bangs, a few small tendrils that weren't long enough to reach hung loosely curled around her face. She gathers the hair into a low, side-ponytail, her previous bouffant hair giving it just enough boost to keep the style from being plain. She pulls a few more small tendrils loose then smiles in the mirror. She picks up her jar of makeup remover pads and wipes one across each eyelid, careful to remove all of the smoky eye shadow and mascara. She likes the definition of her eyes get with just a little eye liner, and opts for a clean mouth, only a slight shimmer of gloss.

She hears the knock at the door and answers, carefully shielding her half-nudity from the hall by hiding behind the door. She is completely shocked to see the seamstress, who bustles past the door, holding the inside-out blouse for her to try.

"I haven't removed the excess yet, I just put in some bullets along the front and back to compliment your shape and put in some elastic in the shoulder. That should make the shoulders puff a little, feminine detail is important when using such a masculine piece. I've also tightened the sleeves a bit so you won't be swimming. If everything fits and you have full range of motion, it will only take me a moment to cut the excess off. Return it to me instead of laundering it. I will have to bind the seams and press them down before they are laundered or the shirt will be damaged."

Duchess lets the woman bundle her into the shirt, buttoning the first, middle and last button. She makes wide, lifting gestures with her arms, which Duchess copies with ease. The woman makes a satisfied sound.

"Are you comfortable my lady?" Duchess smiles, and nods gratefully.

"You've done a great job. While you finish this up, I've got to call a maid in to remove all these terrible costumes." Duchess pulls the shirt off carefully and hands it to the woman. "I will need you to pull as many seamstresses as you can to create me a new wardrobe. I'm leaving you in charge, but my measurements are already on file in the sewing room. I no longer want clothes that the Queen would approve of. I want to look respectable and professional and polished. I like dresses that end just below the knee, loose enough to twirl in-" Duchess flushes guiltily. "- and nothing that shows any skin other than an appropriate amount of cleavage. I need you and anyone else capable to design some ideas to have them ready to view in an hour. I'll have HR get you an office and a raise immediately...uh" Duchess flushes as she realizes she doesn't even know the lady's name. The extremely shocked lady is barely able to mumble.

"Lucinda, ma'am. Lucinda Cartwright." Duchess extends her hand to shake Lucinda's.

"Do we have a deal Lucinda?" Lucinda shakes her hand, moves to the desk, lays the shirt out and, in no time at all, trims all the excess away.

"Please be sure to ring me when you've finished with the shirt milady. I'll be by to pick it up." Duchess takes the shirt when Lucinda offers it and puts it on. Her completed look is exactly as she plans and she beams into the mirror at Lucinda.

"I promise I will. I'll see you in an hour Lucinda." The lady curtsies and leaves the room quickly, running down the hall to share the news with the other seamstresses. It was always a pleasure being offered the chance to design their own ideas and the Duchess has a lovely figure. She'll be such a pleasure to dress.

Back in her suite, Duchess fluffs her side ponytail and then smiles once into the mirror as a test. Her image is polished and refined and classy. Enormously pleased, she heads out to the Looking Glass Hall, ready to help and be useful for something other than seducing at the Queen's will.


	22. Chapter 22

**D.- Hey hey! That last chapter was really Duchess-centric. Continuing in that trend, let's add in a little Jack and have ourselves a drama fest. This chapter is for my lovely new reviewer Pew Pew, I am still planning on the Alice/Hatter sequel and as I finish correcting and posting these chapters for all of you, I am retaining new ideas for the sequels. There is interest in the Duchess/Jack sequel, merely out of curiosity I think, but this chapter might turn a lot of heads their way. I've messed up our poor Duchess's life. But I've also renamed her, since Duchess is her title. All that to say enjoy guys!**

Jack returns to the Looking Glass Hall, walking through the mess of oysters waiting for transport. He can see many prone and suffering forms and he searches around for Alice. She is so compassionate, she is sure to be around here, helping her people get ready, or settled. When his eyes alight on the back of a young blonde lady, leaning on her haunches and tilting an Oysters head back gently to slide some water into her mouth, he is stunned. Her gentle nature is obvious and he's never noticed anyone that well proportioned in the mess of oysters so far. He is just about to step forward and ask her name when the club motions him over to the Looking Glass. He can't get near the blonde, too many bodies crammed into the space, so he skirts along the wall to the club. He never notices Duchess look up at him from her place in front of the oyster, admiration for his perfect form and frustration that he didn't see her warring in her eyes. She sets her mind back to her task, putting Jack out of her mind.

Once he arrives, the technician asks him for the ring to begin clearing out the oysters. Jack refuses and asks instead where to find Alice, that she should be the one to activate the mirror. Both the technician and the club looked frustrated and annoyed but turn away. Jack moves to the nearest suits, standing by to watch the oysters.

"Have you seen the Lady Alice? She's meant to be the first through the Glass and we're otherwise ready to go." The three suits shake their heads but two leave to go find her, one to the left of the hall, one through the rotating doors. Jack must have spoken aloud because he hears the Duchess reply.

"She's in the Diamond parlor, having tea with her father." Jack spins around, scanning the faces standing around the crowd of oysters but doesn't see her big blonde hair. He looks suspicious for a moment until the blonde woman he was admiring before stands from helping the invalid oyster, nudging someone else in to finish for her. When she turns, Jack is stunned. His eyes are open and appreciative as they run along Duchess' perfectly covered body. He had no idea she even owned clothing that covered her body properly. Although he's seen her in little more than a glorified bikini, he is intrigued by her trim figure, clothed in clean lines and demure colors. He looks into her face, beautiful in its lack of makeup and sparkle, and then scans her hair, simple and stylish at the same time. Duchess steps toward him as she speaks, careful to maneuver around the people she was helping.

"I can bring you to her if you like." Jack reaches out to touch her arm, expecting her to pop like a mirage in the truth room, but she is solid, and warm. He slides his hand past her arm to the small of her back and motions for her to lead the way. She smiles, her unpainted lips making him want to hide her away in a room where he can explore just what other changes she has made. As they leave the hall, heading to the right, Jack suddenly realizes that she had been helping invalid oysters. Confused by her clothes and her attitude, he stops her just out of sight of the suits and mirror technicians.

"Duchess, what on earth is going on with you?" She takes a deep breath and releases it on a sigh.

"I'm finally free to be who I want to be Jack. I know that we haven't the staff to care for all the people here and since I have two hands, willing and able, I volunteered. Now that I no longer have to play your mother's little whore, I can dress myself and keep a lower profile." Jack bristles at the use of the word whore, but looks into her eyes, seeing the hidden pain there.

"I think Duchess, that you and I are going to have a very long talk when the oysters are gone." Duchess looks shocked and she mumbles out something Jack doesn't hear.

"Come again?" Duchess looks down at her polished toes, peeking out beneath the rhinestone bow as she speaks.

"Ileana. My name is Ileana, Jack. I'd rather you didn't call me Duchess anymore." She turns and walks towards the room, her steps fast in an effort to prevent him from catching her up, but that is exactly what he does. Racing forward, he grabs her arms from behind her and pulls her into a closet, closing and locking the door. Panicked and afraid, Ileana pounds her fists against his chest, trying to loosen his hold on her. Tears spring to her eyes as she tries to pull back. Seeing this, Jack lets her go, and she falls flush into the back of the closet. Jack feels around the door and reaches above his head, trying to find the switch to turn on the light. Ileana crouches down, making herself as small as possible while wrapping her arms around her knees.

Jack finally finds a switch but when he throws it and his eyes adjust to the sudden glaring light, he sees the lady curled in on herself, crying softly. He kneels before her, rubbing the outside of her arms to console her. She never looks up, just stifles her sobs. Jack pulls his handkerchief from his coat pocket and dabs gently at her tears. When she finally looks up into his eyes, he extends his handkerchief to her. She dries her eyes and dabs her nose, clutching the fabric to the neck of her shirt, covering the small 'V' of skin that is exposed. Jack unbuttons and shrugs out of his coat, sliding it over her.

"Ileana, what happened? I was just trying to get you to talk to me, to tell me what shadows are haunting your eyes. I didn't mean to upset you, or scare you in any way. This is just the best way to get any privacy from the suits." Ileana sniffles again, her eyes a little red and slightly puffy, but incredibly large and shiny as she looks at him.

"I'm not sure now is the time to get into this Jack. I've had a difficult time here at court but it's in the past now and we need to focus on getting those oysters home." She smoothes the pocket of his jacket over her hip and takes a deep breath. Jack is suddenly overcome by fury that she is going to sacrifice her well being for those people.

"I'll not have it. You're well being is important and you need to focus your energies on you. If you don't want to discuss it now, I respect that, but I would prefer you retire to your room, rest and when the suits and I have returned all the oysters, I will come to you. Whatever you've suffered Duchess, I give you my word I will help you in anyway I can to overcome it." Duchess gapes at him, this man who only yesterday stared at her with anger and distrust, claiming she had never cared for him, that she was nothing but his mother's pawn. She shakes herself from her thoughts and smiles a watery grin, reaching an arm out to the shelf ledge, about to pull herself up when Jack stands, and reaches down his hand to take hers. The contact sends tingles up her arm and he pulls her straight into his arms, both arms wrapping around her back. Ileana has to fight the urge to get away, the memories of a similar incident playing in her head. She takes a deep breath, carrying the comforting scent of the future King into her nose, banishing the demons of her past for now.

Jack steps back, letting one hand fall behind him to unlock the door. When the door opens and the natural light spills in, his heart breaks at the sight of the Duchess, the lovely Ileana, eyes red from crying and still trying to wear a brave smile. She turns off the light and steps into the hall, Jack wrapping an arm around her lower back as they continue on to the Diamond parlor. There, Ileana is about to reach for the door handle when Jack stops her.

"My dear, why don't you retire to your room for some rest, like I suggested. I'll see Alice to the looking glass and then let the clubs handle the rest of the oysters. I can arrange for a nice dinner for us to enjoy in your rooms and we can discuss…things." Ileana nods, her eyes pensive and vague. She stares off for a minute before replying.

"Thank you for your consideration Jack. That would be lovely." She curtsies to him, turns and travels along the corridor to the left, the direction she had watched Hatter venture into. She walks past some steps, and turns back as she hears the door to the parlor close. She sighs and is about to continue walking when something bright yellow catches her eye. Looking around the staircase, she sees a yellow shoe sticking out beneath the base of the stairs. She steps up cautiously.

"Hello? Is someone there?" She follows the shoe up a dark blue pant leg and up to the folded form of Hatter. "Hatter, are you ok?" He doesn't respond so she reaches forward to touch his knee. He starts and bangs his head against the stairs. Ileana flinches in guilt then offers her hand to help him out. He wriggles out by himself and Ileana clasps her hands in front of her. Hatter doesn't recognize her at first.

"Sorry miss, I was just resting up, away from all the oysters. The Duchess gave me permission-" He stops when the woman giggled. He looks up at her properly and then goggled.

"Duchess! You look…different!" He pauses and looks her over casually, no hint of sexuality in his gaze. "It's definitely a good different though, classy even!" Duchess smiles her first real smile in what feels like hours.

"My friends call me Ileana, Hatter." He nods.

"Alright, Ileana it is then. I think you look a treat, much more proper than the old dresses, no offense." Hatter stretches his tight back, first twisting to the left, then to the right, finally bending back, his hands braced just above his hips. When he hears sufficient cracks, he stands straight, smiling. "So then, how are you feeling?" He notices her eyes are puffy, and assumes she'd been crying. She waves him off.

"Never mind about me Hatter, you've got to hurry. Jack is back and is taking Alice to the Looking Glass. I just left him outside the Diamond parlor." Hatter's eyes widen, he leaps forward, hugs her quickly, with a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks Ileana. I owe ya." He takes off running in the direction of the parlor. He throw open the door, checking the room, and comes out alone. He looks both ways for any sign of her and then decides to go to the Hall, hoping she's still hanging about.


	23. Chapter 23

**D.- This one is for scubagurl22, thank you for your review, it came at the perfect time to inspire me to work through the grief, to bring myself to my happy, Hatter filled world that I control. This is why I love writing. Nothing happens in this story without my express agreement. Wouldn't it be nice if we had that kind of control over real life? Lol, not that I'm a control freak or anything, just would have re-written this year so far. This is the second family member I've lost to illness this year, and we're only a month and a half in. Things have to get better from here. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed tightly, correct and post this chapter and then go dream 8 hours of my life away! Geez I'm a mopey complainer today…In other news, I'm healthy, I like what I do for a living and I'm married to the love of my life, with a 4 yr old Double reverse Brindle Boxer puppy named Thumper…cause he's graceful. Now that I've cheered myself up, let's see my revised Looking Glass scene. How does it play out? Read on!**

Jack had watched Ileana leave him at the parlor door and secretly dreaded the thought of their talk tonight. She seems so hurt but so determined to hide the pain and Jack feels a stab of guilt for thinking she had enjoyed playing his mother's gorgeous little spy. He's always thought she's been just a shade too overdone to be glamorous, but it never dulled her beauty. Now, having toned down all aspects of her image, she simply radiated beauty. He berates himself for not noticing that she is such a tender soul, so lost in his mother's cold world. Smiling to himself at the thought of getting to know her better, he knocks on the door. Robert opens the door, stepping back quickly to let him in.

"Your highness." He bows but Jack bids him to stand up.

"Nonsense Mr. Hamilton, I'm not your king, so just call me Jack." He turns to Alice. "Alice, it's time for you to take your trip." He steps forward to guide her from the room, a hand on her arm. She looks over to her father, who had just informed her that he really intended to be the last oyster to be returned, giving the forgers time to recreate all of his ID and for them to find him some U.S.A. appropriate clothing. Alice pulls her arm back a little, unable to dislodge Jack's hand.

"I'm not leaving without seeing Hatter." Jack nods gently.

"I'll send my men to locate him, but we'll head to the Looking Glass in the meantime." Alice lets herself be led to the hall, where oyster and suit alike move to let her through. Many realize that when she goes through, they will be returned soon after her so excitement spreads through the crowd. Alice sees Charlie and races forward to embrace him. Jack watches her go, smiling softly. He approaches the knight carefully, extending a hand.

"Hello Charlie, my most sincere thanks for your guardianship of the Lady Alice. I am also most grateful for your plan to distract the Queen's forces with your knights. A most masterful coup, if I may say. Your bravery and cunning are perhaps the only reason that Alice, Hatter, the Duchess and I were able to escape the Casino alive." Charlie beams at the praise, bowing in respect. Jack continues. "I do apologize for our first meeting; I was too eager to rescue Alice and didn't know that you were traveling together." The knight makes a dismissive gesture and Jack looks down at Alice for a moment before finishing his speech. "I wonder, brave knight, if you would be willing to meet with my advisors, with the intent of starting up a new set of knights, loyal to the crown, to police the cities during our time of rebuilding. Surely a knight such as yourself can be trusted to teach our young men the art of chivalry and the challenge of knighthood?" Charlie almost faints, Alice rushes to grab his arm to prevent his fall. Charlie is steadied, then performs his deepest bow and accepts the offer; right after Alice helps him straighten his back.

"Naturally, your highness, I accept with the greatest humility. I would be honored to meet with your advisors at their earliest convenience." He turns to Alice. "My Lady Alice, it has been my greatest honor to be your sworn protector. I pray you live a long and happy life." He bows over her hand and steps back to the wall.

Alice turns to face Jack just as Hatter slides to a stop in front of the rotating door of the Looking Glass Hall, spotting the tall, blonde Prince immediately. Alice has taken both his hands in hers and is talking quietly. Hatter's heart lurches and he stares, trying in vain to discern their conversation. Is she saying her goodbyes to him? Is he asking her to stay? Is she professing her love and wishing they could be together? After a moment, Alice reaches up to hug Jack and Hatter's hopes fall further. He watches as Jack then reaches into his pocket and removes the ring, holding it out to her. When he sees her reach for it, he holds his breath, watching as Jack steps to the mirror and flips open a glowing case. When Alice promptly places the ring into the case, relief rushes through him. His relief dies a sudden death as he watches, reflected in the mirror, as Alice looks into Jack's eyes, her own eyes bright with wonder. Her father stands off to the side of the room, eyes filled with pride and a small cheer erupts from the oysters, at least those with enough cognizance to realize that the process to send them home has begun. Hatter shakes himself from his paralysis, silently wishes Alice all the happiness she can handle and turns to leave.

It is Alice calling his name that makes him turn. His heart leaps to his throat, stopping any breath from escaping his lungs for a moment. When his eyes land on her, he rushes through the oysters, muttering his apologies, just dying to hold her in his arms once more. She opens her mouth to speak and he simply grips her to him, his arms wrapping around her back. He takes a deep breath of her before speaking.

"I thought I'd missed you." Alice pulls back, hearing his voice crack. Tears are welling in his eyes and she tries to bolster his mood with a winning smile.

"You did cut it a little close." Hatter slides his hands down and off her hips, letting his arms fall, making tight fists. He tries to smile.

"I was wandering about a bit, trying not to think about this." He forces his hands straight, releasing the tension in his forearms. "I wanted to say…" He looks into her eyes, sees the hope and excitement there. He blinks and blurts out the first thought that came to him. "I came to say goodbye." Alice struggles not to let the disappointment show, but her voice isn't steady when she replies.

"Goodbye? But I-" Hatter cuts her off, his heart breaking into pieces. He pulls on his callous, heart break resistant shell, trying unsuccessfully to preserve any piece of his heart.

"We had a laugh, had some good times, you know, obviously scattered in among the bad times." He smiles awkwardly. "And if you ever fancied coming back…" His voice is hopeful and Alice's shock wears off. She finally understands that he is trying not too sound desperate. He is hoping she will ask to stay. She smiles a little as she speaks.

"So you want me to stay?" She accuses playfully. Hatter doesn't know what to think or say but Hatter is certain that begging her to stay would only lead to her future unhappiness. Also, she would grow to resent his asking her to stay, in a place where she knows no one and where he could offer her nothing to support her. He realizes he has been thinking too long and quickly spews out his words.

"Hell no! No, I think you should definitely go home." Alice maintains an almost perfect air of indifference but the shock of his refusal keeps her mute. Hatter is quick to elaborate, if only to break the silence. "I mean, you've probably had enough of Wondaland for a lifetime, right?" Alice nods softly, letting her head fall forward slightly, her hair cascading over her shoulder to hide her face from him for a moment.

She begins to pull his jacket off, and everything in Hatter is screaming at him that the whole scene is wrong, that she shouldn't be taking off his jacket, shouldn't be leaving him. He is about to protest when she thrusts the jacket into his arms. Unable to do anything but accept it, he folds the coat over his arm.

"Yeah, thanks, brilliant." Alice takes a deep breath, steeling her courage.

"You know you could always visit my world. You never know, you might like it!" Hatter smiles at the thought, grasping at any possibility that kept him and Alice together.

"Yeah!" His voice cracks under the strain of keeping his brave face on. He tries for a serious visage as he continues. "We could do Pizza." Alice smiles at the thought. She imagines someone who had visited her world had told him of the cheesy treat and he would probably like it. He would like a lot of things that she could show him in her world. Her mouth finishes her thought before she can filter it.

"Yeah, and lots of other things." Her voice is low and breathy and Hatter stands there a moment, trying to commit the memory of her, from the way her hair falls against that lovely blue dress to the way her eyes sparkle in the light of the different windows. He draws her forward into his arms one last time, breathing her in, trying to commit every feeling, smell and sight to his eternal memory. He opens his eyes when a man in white steps up to them.

"Alice?" She pulls away from Hatter completely and the man reaches between them, grabbing her elbow and turning her toward the mirror. "If you please?" They are stepping away when Hatter's words catch up to the situation.

"Really? I just-" He looks over at Alice as she pulls forward, away from the man, to hug her father, whispering in his ear quickly before she returns to the mirror. Hatter can't tear his eyes off of her, so he misses the way Robert nods to her, smiles and looks over at him. Hatter watches her climb the steps, notices the technician's hand land on her back.

"Just force yourself to breathe." And with those words, he pushes her through. Hatter steps forward to stop her, but she is gone and he was lost.


	24. Chapter 24

Hatter leaves the hall immediately, stumbling back and wandering away. Robert makes to follow him, but Jack stops him.

"He's hurting right now Mr. Hamilton. He'll come around soon enough. Let the young man take some time to himself." Robert steps back and begins listing co-ordinates for the other humans' home locations. When Robert calls their location out, the priest walks up and assists the people up to the mirror.

Hatter is walking dejectedly down the hall, aiming to wander about the building until they kick him out. He briefly considers returning to his place, but knows that every detail will make him think of Alice. Just about all of his usual haunts are now just memory holders for his precious Alice. He wanders past the parlor where she'd sat with her father, happily recounting her life and what he's missed. He is glad she can finally have what she needs; her home and her dojo, her family and friends. She will be happy, of that he is certain. How he will ever manage to function again, he isn't so sure.

He wanders until he hears the ding of the elevator and looking over, he sees a gaggle of middle aged ladies stepping out of it, clutching dozens of papers each. He takes of his hat gallantly, resting it on the purple coat he has draped across his arm, as they walk by, giggling like small school girls. They don't notice the few papers that fall behind them. When they disappear from view, he steps over and picks them up. He sees that the papers are designs for clothing for a woman. 'These outfits are charming; prim and stylish simultaneously.' He thinks as he follows the path of fallen papers, picking them up as he walks.

When he reaches the last one and can't see any more, he is surrounded by doors. He doesn't know which one the women are in, so he settles down to sit against the wall and wait. 'Surely they'll return for their designs.' He thinks to himself as he tucks the purple coat into his lap. He flips through some of the drawings until he notices a particular design for a ball gown dress; he can almost envision it on Alice. The back is completely open, all the way down to just above the curve of the buttocks. The front is cut so that the material slashes across the collarbone and upper arms, and then molds to the body until the waist, where it flows up and out in a charming flounce. It flows to the ground, simple and yet Hatter feels it is missing something.

He rummages through his pockets, and then the pockets of the purple coat, finding a pen and he begins to fill in the skirt with a pattern of stylized leaves, like the green burn on Alice's arm. He has to stop drawing for a moment when he remembers licking her tattoo in their moments together. He shakes his head, unwilling to succumb to the emotional void so quickly. He returns to his drawing, the pattern on the skirt similar to the red paisley shirt he had been wearing when they met. Hatter, frustrated at himself for his lack of control, doesn't finish his design feature; he just tucks the page behind the others. It is just in time for someone to open the door to his right. He looks up into the eyes of none other than the Duchess.

"Duche- I mean…Ilana right?" She smiles.

"Ileana, but close enough. Are you ok Hatter?" He smiles a fake smile.

"Me? I'm always alright." She tilts her head disbelievingly and Hatter's smile falters. She sees the designs clutched in his hand and asks quickly.

"Are you a seamstress come to show me your designs too?" Hatter looks down at the pictures.

"I found these on the floor after the ladies walked by. I picked up all the ones that I saw, but didn't know where to turn them in." He pulls out the bottom one. "I doodled on one of them." He flushes guiltily. "I didn't mean any disrespect, but I could just imagine it on Alice, with that minor adjustment, of course." Ileana extends her arm, and Hatter passes the pile of designs up to her. He pushes himself up to stand and wraps the purple coat back over his arm carefully as he begins to bow away. He stops when Ileana makes a noise of approval. He looks up and she is looking at the design he had fooled with. He again turns to leave and she touches his shoulder.

"Have you got a few minutes Hatter? I see you've got quite an eye for detail, maybe you could look over some designs for me, let me know what you think." Hatter looks like he wants to crawl away but Ileana pulls him forward gently. "It might help you to think of something else for a bit." He looks up at her and nods, his face.

"I can make a little time for a friend." He steps into the room, and all the women's conversation stops suddenly. Taking a deep breath, he introduces himself. "Hello ladies, Hatter's the name. The Duchess here asked me to sit in and help her decide among all your lovely designs." Hatter stays with Ileana and the ladies for the better part of a few hours, his opinions usually only on color or accessories. When the design he had doodled on came up, he apologizes to the lady who had designed it, Lucinda.

"I just saw this dress and thought of the love of my life. She would look stunning in this dress. I just wanted to spice it up a little. I never even finished it; so you can just ignore my doodles." Lucinda pulls it over to examine it. Hatter's attention is diverted by the other women pitching their ideas to the Duchess. While he ventures his very creative ideas, she turns over another design and quickly re-sketches the design, careful to capture the swirls as closely as she can. Very quickly, Hatter begins to feel drained. His loneliness will no longer be kept at bay. He stands to excuse himself from the ladies and Lucinda slips her original design into his hand as he ducks out of the room. Ileana rushes over and grabs an almost empty jar from her bedroom night table and races out of the room after him. He hasn't made it far so she calls out for him to stop.

"Hatter! I wanted to give you something." He turns to her, the tear tracks on his cheeks visible and he makes no attempt to hide them. She smiles awkwardly and presses the jar into his hand. "When I was working for the Queen, I'd sometimes get roughed up a little and I had a servant who would bring me haleberry preserves. I know your appearance isn't your number one concern right now, but it might come in handy soon." He rolls his eyes a little, which she catches. When she frowns at him, he flushes guiltily.

"Yeah, sorry, you're right. I'll have some with my tea when I get home, I promise." He tucks the jar and paper into his coat. "Thanks Ileana, and take care, milady." He bows exaggeratedly and then turns and meanders to the elevator. The duchess returns to her room, where all but one of the ladies have left. Lucinda is sitting tall in her wingback chair, waiting on the Duchess. When said lady closes the door behind her, Lucinda stands, pulling the copied drawing of the dress from her file.

"He has an eye for detail you know. I'm sure his lady love would suit this gown more than you would, if I may say so." Duchess nods sadly.

"Except that the woman he loves is none other than the Alice of Legend, returned to her home world no more than two hours ago, presumably never to see him again." The woman tucks the drawing into her folder.

"I'll be keeping this design handy. If you find the need, I can have it made perfectly in less than two days milady." Duchess is taken aback, but thanks the lady as she leaves. The wheels begin turning before she can close the door behind Lucinda. This plan will have to start immediately for it to work.

Hatter has walked the entire floor and when he re-enters the Looking Glass Hall, there are still many people left. The priest is assisting a barely conscious woman up to the stairs. A suit steps up and pulls her close to him, like they are about to dance away. He steps with her through the looking glass and disappears. Hatter wonders to himself how the suits are going to get back. Instead of venturing forth and spending more time in company, he ducks out the revolving door. He walks over to the corner of the building and stands, overlooking Wonderland. He can see the streets of town to one side and the water to the other. If he turns to his left, he knows he will see the Tugley Wood. He pulls the purple coat up to his face, taking a deep breath of Alice. Setting it down carefully next to him, he spreads his arms wide; as if to embrace everything at once and pull it all to his breast, trying to fill the gaping hole in his chest. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath to calm himself but that illusion shatters and he almost stumbles off the edge when Robert calls out to him, panicked. He stumbles back, muttering to himself that he now knows why Alice fears heights.

"Good lord! There's no reason for you to jump to your death boy!" Hatter, clutching his chest in shock and trying to catch his runaway breath, replies.

"I wasn't going to jump! I was just trying to clear my head, get some semblance of normalcy back." Robert feels guilty for interrupting him but takes a few steps closer.

"How long have you known you loved my daughter?" The painful question makes Hatter's eyes bug as he looks up at Robert.

"Ever since she put on my coat, if you must know." Hatter picks up said coat and folds it over his arm again; brushing away imaginary pieces of dirt. Robert stands a moment, quietly looking at him when Hatter pipes up. "I just wish…" He trails off, expelling a large breath. Robert steps forward again, now only a few feet from the man.

"Just wish what, Hatter?" Hatter, taking a deep breath, just spits it out quickly.

"I just wish we were still together. Here, there, I don't care. I just want her. The rest is insignificant." Robert smiles at him.

"Good answer, son, good answer. I know the Prince won't let any oysters stay until he's certain the last of the emotion teas are destroyed and all the Wonderlanders have been detoxed. If you find yourself in need, the Prince could surely set you up to travel to my world." Hatter grimaces.

"I doubt it. The Prince wants me out of the picture. I'm not good enough for Alice." Robert shakes his head, deciding to let the man stew about his options instead of pressing the issue. He begins to walk away, but stops for one last try outside the door.

"You know, my daughter strikes me as the kind of woman who makes her own choices. No Prince will tell her how to live." He steps into the revolving door and Hatter turns back to the scene of Wonderland. He sets his hands into his pockets, pulling out the paper and the jar. Tucking the jar back into his pocket, he stares at the folded paper. His heart is screaming at him that he needs a plan to make his future with Alice a reality. He gets an idea, and after mulling it through his head quickly, he decides he is on the right plan.

Hatter runs back through the Hall, down to the elevator, much to Robert's delight. When the elevator fails to arrive quickly enough, he takes the stairs to the ground level. He makes his way back to his home, the tea shop. When he sees the small group gathered just outside the front door there, he circles back around to climb the ladder up to his office's back door, Alice's jacket slung over his shoulder. Once inside, he sets the coat down, reaches into the bottom drawer of his desk and pulls up the false bottom. Once his code is entered, and the safe flips open, he pulls out his father's cufflinks and his mother's antique Aquamarine ring and tucks the small boxes into his breast pocket. He also pulls his rarest, undiluted teas from the safe, placing them onto his desk while he fetches his lined briefcase. The undiluted teas he has along his back wall are then packed up along with his rare collection into the briefcase.

He slings Alice's velvet jacket over his left arm, and then also grabs his brown suede jacket, a trade from a white rabbit who needed a quick fix. He hangs it over hers. No tea head in his right mind would think of taking him on, his reputation far too terrible to conceive it. But he isn't taking any chances. Tea heads everywhere are bound to be ravenous for another fix by now, and he needs his right hand free, just in case. He casts one last look around his office then cut the power. He walks to the door on instinct and once through the door, he locks it. He creeps through the tea exchange quietly, noticing that there seems to be a lot of people outside, but none are desperate enough to actually step into the place yet. Just in case, he hurries to his own suite, anxious to be locked away behind all the reinforced walls and electronic locks.

He puts in his password and closes the door behind him, throwing the deadbolt and the electronic locks automatically. He walks into the bedroom, lays the extra jackets over a chair, set his porkpie on top and then slips his briefcase under the bed before wandering into the kitchen. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees the two empty tea cups sitting on his living room coffee table. He steps up to the cups, pulls out the jar and paper, setting both on the table as well and then he collapses into his couch, staring off into nothing as he remembers his pretty little Alice.


	25. MATURE Chapter 25

**D.- Don't really have time for dedication atm. To the 4 who reviewed, thanks so much! I love you all, you guys get another chapter!**

Ileana is in the bath when someone knocks on the door to her suite. Loosing a loud, dismayed sigh, she calls out for them to wait as she steps out, small patches of bubbles sliding down her skin while she wraps her towel around her. She steps up to the door and looks out the peep hole to see a suit standing with a push cart of full of domed plates. She smiles as she opens the door, keeping herself pressed behind the door.

"Just set it in the living room there." She commands the suit, but when he has finished his task, he turns to look at her. Ileana can't see his eyes because of his sunglasses, but she suddenly feels exposed. She tugs at the bottom of her towel and wipes at some soap sliding down the arm holding her towel up. He finally decides to speak.

"Will that be everything you need, Duchess?" Feeling awkward and totally unsure of herself, she nods curtly as she grips her towel tightly.

"I'm returning to my bath now; close the door on your way out." She lifts her head regally and turns toward the bathroom. She releases a breath when she hears the door close and is about to remove the towel when a voice she doesn't recognize speaks up from behind her.

"Mmm, why don't you let me do that, Duchess?" She steps forward to put some space between them but he grips her around her arms and waist, pulling her back and the towel's flimsy tuck comes loose, the towel only being held up by her pinned arms. She cries out in shock and struggles to be set free. The man puts his face next to hers, effectively stopping her next plan of action, to ram her head as hard as she could into his nose. The sound of his breathing makes her feel nauseous. His tongue licks her cheek.

"The Queen always promised a go at the Duchess for good behavior. Why don't you thank me properly for bringing your dinner?" Ileana pulls her head away from his and he takes this chance to spin her away from him and pull her towel free. Ileana slips on some water and soap left on the floor and the spinning action causes her to fall onto her back, her head colliding with the cold tile below, prompting a cry of pain. When the man grabs his belt buckle, Ileana turns to her side to crawl away. He hears her movement, stops undoing his pants and grabs her, pulling her up by her hair, making her scream in pain again. He grabs her arms and pushes her down onto the counter. She turns her head to avoid hitting her nose but her face still hits the counter and dazes her. The man steps right up to her, his cloth covered erection pressing into her naked backside, as he pulls her arms way up her back and she cries out in pain.

Duchess, unable to concentrate, doesn't react when he first lets go of her hands. She lays there with her eyes closed tightly against the horror of what is going to happen to her until she moves her arms and there is no resistance. She opens her eyes and pulls her arms around to push herself up off the counter. She can't see anyone in the bathroom, and though her towel is exactly where it had fallen in the scuffle, she isn't sure if she had dreamed the whole attack. She bends to pick up the towel, swaying a little and collapsed onto her knees. She looks up when she hears an intake of breath and Jack comes into the room then, bends to her level and lifts her up. He carries her to the bed, pulls the blanket from the other side of the bed to cover her nakedness. He sits gently next to her, his eyes pained and regretful.

"Ileana, are you ok? Did he hurt you?" She turns her head to look at him.

"Jack? What happened?" He looks into her eyes, seeing the confusion and pain there. He steps away from her and picks up the phone. He calls the Looking Glass Hall and asks for the nearest female medic to visit the Duchess's suite immediately. He returns to the Duchess, sitting gently on the bed once again. She tries to roll away, mumbling something about being tired, but Jack sees the small blot of bright red stained pillow beneath her head. He rolls her back to face him.

"Ileana, I need you to stay awake for me please. I have someone coming to talk to you." Her eyes flutter for half a minute before they open.

"Jack? What are you doing here?" Jack's worry grows and her eyes fell back, her lids closing as she succumbs to sleep. Jack, panicked, wraps her into the blanket and pulls her up to lean on him. The pillow's stain has grown to twice the size when he throws the offending item off the bed. He slides further onto the bed, careful to shift the Duchess with him and he sits against the headboard, keeping her propped up against him. He rubs her cheek with his knuckles as he speaks to her.

"Ileana, my lovely, you need to wake up now. I need to talk to you and it is very important. Come on now, talk to me." Ileana stirs a little, but doesn't speak. Jack continues. "I need you to tell me what happened so that I can tell the medic. Come on darling, wake up now." Again, there is no answer to his pleading. He hears the knock on the door and panic makes his voice shake as he calls out.

"Come in, and hurry!" Ileana moans aloud, trying to clutch her head. Jack kisses her temple, whispering to her that the medic is here. Ileana opens her eyes slowly, cringing at the brightness of the room. The medic makes her way over to Jack.

"What's the problem milord?" Jack is careful to keep his voice down.

"Ileana, tell the medic what happened please." Ileana blinks at the lady a time or two, then licks her lips before speaking.

"My delivery guy came in and decided he wanted to rape me. I slipped on some water and hurt my head. Jack was coming for dinner and he saved me." The woman nods, retrieving her pen light from her pocket. She takes the Duchess's chin in her hand, holding her still.

"Look straight at me for a minute milady." Duchess looks at her and then squints when the woman shines the light into her eyes. The woman makes her observations aloud, to soothe the obviously upset prince. "Equal pupil dilation, that's an excellent sign." She tips the Duchess's face up to her again. "Follow my finger with your eyes only, do not move your head." The duchess looks left, and then came back to the middle, then to the right and back without moving her head. "Co-ordination is good. How does your head feel milady?" Duchess grimaces.

"My head hurts, can I have some ice?" The medic smiles a little.

"I'll be sure to get you some in a moment milady. Are there any other symptoms?" Jack motions to the pillow with his hand but Ileana spoke up.

"My head hurts, can I have some ice?" Jack looks over at the medic, the pillow forgotten.

"She asked me what happened when I returned from dealing with the culprit. A moment later, she asked me what I was doing here." His panicked tone makes the medic reply in a very calming tone.

"She's experiencing some confusion, which is the most common symptom of a concussion. Her pupils dilate evenly, so that rules out more serious conditions. Her co-ordination is good and she can hear clearly, no ringing in her ears. For taking a knock to the noggin, she's doing very well." Jack signals to the pillow again.

"She's bleeding from the head. I only let her rest on the pillow a minute before I pulled her up to sit with me, to keep her awake. The lady asked him to lean her forward. Jack's shirt and jacket have bloodstains on them and her hair is still red in the center. The lady brushes the hair aside and Ileana gasps out an "Oww!" She is suddenly very physical in trying to straighten up and tilt her head away from the doctor. The doctor does not appreciate her efforts.

"Milady, I need to see how deep your head wound is. I am trying to be gentle and I realize it hurts, but I promise to fetch you an ice pack immediately after I'm finished. You need to stay still." Jack rolls her body onto the bed, on her side. He slides off the bed and steps around her legs to sit in front of her. With her head turned to the foot of the bed, the medic can walk around and have easy access to her head. When Ileana flinches, Jack lays next to her, whispering little nonsense tidbits to her to distract her. She smiles a weak smile at his efforts and flinches again, tears springing to her eyes.

Jack rubs his hands down the blanket, where he assumes her arm to be. The medic takes out a little antiseptic wipe and Jack can tell that this is going to hurt Ileana. He crawls closer and touches her face with his hand, the medic gave her the generic "This will hurt" warning before wiping at the area. Duchess' flinch became a scream of pain. Jack, hurt by her pain, presses his lips to her cheek in a gentle kiss, but she hardly seems to notice. The medic pulls away the wipe and is pleased when the wound doesn't immediately bleed heavily. She turns to face the prince as she explains.

"The bleeding is slowed significantly, her wound isn't so deep as to require stitches and as long as no new symptoms appear-" She moves to the door, pulls it open and sends a suit to fetch her an ice pack. Pulling her head back in and closing the door she finishes her train of thought. "- she'll be right as rain again in three or four days." I suggest that you have someone stay with her over the next 24 hours, to monitor for any new symptoms." She pulls a small pad of paper from her bag and a pen from her frock. She begins writing things on the paper like 'Unconsciousness; convulsions; extremity weakness; vomiting; or new bleeding.' She tears the paper and hands it to the Prince.

"These are some symptoms to watch out for, see that her monitor gets the list. She needs a lot of rest, a full night and if she can manage it, some during the day as well. I will stop by to examine her at 24, 48 and 72 hour intervals. If no new symptoms occur in that time frame, she can resume her daily activities." The medic hears the knock on the door and walks over to it, retrieving the ice pack and bringing it to the Duchess, who wiggles one hand out to take the bag and place it gingerly to her head. "Be careful not to ice for more than ten minutes at a time, leaving at least 15 between applications. Only apply the ice when it's in this pack or you risk damaging the scalp, possibly resulting in hair loss." The medic turns to the Prince. "She can eat and drink as normal as long as theres no alcohol or drugs." The medic packs up her paper and penlight and closed the bag before bowing to the Prince. "I'd suggest she try and sleep on her side, to avoid putting pressure on the wound and no washing her hair for at least a week, to allow the wound to heal." The Prince thanks the medic for her attentions and escorts her to the door, relieved that Ileana is seemingly okay.


	26. MATURE Chapter 26

**D.- Kinda hard to write Alice and Hatter when they're apart, so let's hear from Duchess. Anyone want to know why she freaked out in the closet? How about why she ****was always dressed like a slut? This chapter is dedicated to no one person in particular, I just wanted to celebrate my freedom. My job ended (contractor work) so I have more time and I can sleep when I want (which is soooo important after a week of night shifts) ! Enjoy my celebration chapter. Next chapter we'll check in on Hatter! Rated M for graphic description of Non consensual Sex. You've been warned!**

Once the door is closed, Jack sheds his suit jacket onto a table and goes into her suprisingly empty closet and pulls out a dressing gown. Although its silk with lace accents, he figures she'll prefer to have some covering instead of sitting on the bed naked with him to eat. The ice pack is sitting propped under Ileana's head as she rests, rolled up in the blanket. Jack leans over her and lifts her head off of the ice pack. He gently pulls the rolled up blanket to half hang over the edge of the bed. Her skin is warm wherever he touches as he maneuvers her into the robe. When she is covered and he is tying the sash, her eyes blink open. Feeling like a kid, caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he blushes and takes her hands.

"Would you prefer to dine sitting up in the lounge chairs, or would you like to just eat in bed?" Ileana's eyes widen at the mistaken meaning of his words and Jack corrects his mistake. "I mean, we can prop you up with some pillows so that you can eat in your lap, on the bed." He can feel his blush spreading across the back of his neck. Ileana smiles at him understandingly.

"The lounge chair, I think." Jack nods and helps her stand. She has trouble bearing her own weight on her legs, but Jack is careful to keep her close as he helps her to the chair nearest to the rolling cart. When he helps her sit, the dressing gown won't stay completely closed and she fidgets with the lacy neckline, trying for modesty. "I'm sorry about my apparel. I realise it's not the best choice for meal time…" Jack understands that she isn't really sorry so much as she feels embarassed. He smiles at her as he slides off his shoes, belt, tie and dress shirt. He is left in a sleeveless undershirt, dress slacks and socks. When Ileana raises an eyebrow, he flushes, suddenly unsure if dressing down to her level is the right choice.

"I didn't want you to be the only one under dressed for dinner. Now we're a matched pair." Jack lifts the domes to find the meal he ordered for Ileana, creamy pasta with crushed herbs and sliced chicken breast. He places a pillow on her lap and sets the plate on top. He reaches for the parmesan cheese, which she declines. He hands her a set of cutlery and pours her some iced water, setting the glass on the table next to her. He pours himself a glass and sets it near his chair along with a set of cutlery. He pulls out his meal, a beef wellington with baby carrots and garlic mashed potatoes. Jack smiles as he remembered the look on the royal chef's face when he brought him the cook book from Alice's world. Today is the first time he will get to taste the chef's new recipes. He settles the plate onto his lap and digs in, silence reigning while they ate.

Jack's stomach is roiling with emotional distress only half way through the meal so he gives up eating and brings his plate back to the cart. He downs the rest of his water in a few large gulps. Ileana sets her meal onto the side table and tries to curl her legs under her, but finds that the chair she is using isn't very good for sitting the way she wants. She stands and Jack shoots forward in his seat, preparing to support her if necessary. When Ileana is standing before him, he slides back to let her pass and she settles gratefully next to him on the setee. Jack waits for her to get comfortable before he starts to speak.

"Do you feel up to talking about this afternoon in the closet?" Ileana traces the pattern of her robe on her thigh as she considers it. Finally, a meek "Ok" stumbles out of her lips. She doesn't look up as she speaks, her hunched posture and shy movements sending a strong message of shame and humiliation to Jack. He wishes he could soothe her fears but he feels that touching her might upset her if they are going to discuss difficult topics. He hears her take a shuddering breath.

"When my parents sent me to court, they thought that as one of the only noble lines to have a daughter, I would be treated as a future queen and taught to rule the kingdom. They were naturally unaware of your mother's lust for power. From an early age, I was asked to entertain gentelmen at parties, dance with them, keep them interested in whatever the Queen wanted. Until I was about 17, I kind of enjoyed the little intrigues. It was all very innocent for me, play a game of cards and lose, then ask nicely for a dance. Flirt a little, smile a lot and report back to the Queen. I was her little spy. Well one night, the man I was entertaining wanted more than I was ready to give. I finally escaped his grabby hands and made my way through the tunnels and passageways to my bedroom. The following morning, the Queen barged into my room at dawn and threatened to have me beheaded for my insolance." Jack gasps, then reigns in his anger, his fist clenched so tightly that he can feel his fingernails in his palm.

"You see, the Queen told me I was sent there to serve her, to do her bidding and that refusing the man access to my body was preventing me from finding his weaknesses and revealing them to the Queen. I cried and pleaded for my life, but the Queen was hardened with anger." Ileana smiles sadly.

"That was the year you were home from the hunt because you found it too boring. You wandered past the room and heard your mother screaming at me. You walked calmly into the room, made a comment to your father in passing about my aunt Diamond having called for me. Your father reminded the Queen that I was noble and she would be better served having me in her service than my head in a basket. She warned me then, that her leniency had run out, she was through letting me run around all willy-nilly, doing only as I pleased when she had need of me. I was to do anything she asked without question or argument or face the executioner's axe for real." She takes a deep, heavy breath before she continues, her voice quiet, so much so that Jack has to strain to be sure he hears every word correctly.

"That very year, I was titled "The Duchess" so that the men she bade me sleep with would be made to feel honored, bedding a titled lady. I was actually her whore, paid in the currency of my life to sleep with and rat on her enemies." Tears are sliding down her face but again Jack hesitates to touch her for fear of making her uncomfortable in any way. Ileana's silence stretches on for a bit and Jack repeats his question from ealier.

"And what happened in the closet somehow brought it all back?" Ileana can't quite summon a smile, though she tries, ignoring the tears that leave tracks down her face

"There was this guy, I can't remember his face, but he decided he couldn't wait til he got be back to his room. He saw a utility closet, much like that one and pushed me towards it. When he opened the door and looked around, he pushed me forward, banging my head against the door frame. He didn't even blink, he just pushed me into the dark room anyway." She rubs her temple lightly, a headache forming as she concentrates too hard on the memory. Jack notices and interrupts her story.

"Ileana, Are you over doing it? We can talk about this later, or never if you don't want to. Please, let me-" She reaches her hand out and settles it on his shoulder.

"Before he closed the door, he saw a coil of rope. He ripped my dress off, tearing straps and material alike in his quest to get me naked. But even with the added 'lust' tea I had put in my drink, I still wasn't aroused by him tying me up. I was frightened and when I tried to tell him, he stuffed my own panties into my mouth. He pushed me against the back wall, uncaring that the corners of the cabinets were digging into my flesh, and he took me. He claimed I was too loose and dry there so he spit on his finger, rubbed it around my ass and forced himself in." She takes a strengthening breath and Jack can't help but take her hand in his, trying to convey his respect for her strength through his eyes and his touch, but she doesn't meet his eyes as she continues with a bark of ironic laughter.

"He needn't have worried about lubrication, the blood took care of that for him." Her laughter dies quickly after that statement. "I didn't want them to find me. I hoped that I would stay in that closet long enough to bleed to death and just die. The Queen had other plans. She assumed that I had run away, that I was hiding from her or that I had failed to get the information from the man. She had all of her suits searching for me, through all the halls and parlors. They even sent some out on flamingoes I was told. In the end, a cleaning lady found me and when I woke up and saw her leaning over me, I begged her to leave me there to die. I begged her not to call for help." Tears fall down her face as she cries out her frustration.

Jack doesn't need to hear the rest of the story, he doesn't want to. He wants to pull the strong and lovely woman in front of him into a hug and let her cry out her pain. She shifts uncomfortably on the chair, trying to reposition herself and Jack takes the opportunity to pull her into his lap. He rests his head on her shoulder and wraps his arms around her, holding her. She gasps in shock and dismay, so he looks up into her eyes, searching as he asks:

"Is this okay? I didn't mean to upset you, I just want you to know I'm here, I want to comfort you. You are so strong to sit through this and tell me everything, and seeing you relive the pain, it's killing me. If you'd rather sit on your own, I'd understand of course." He loosens his arms and lets them rest on her lap but she pulls them back up and around her. He takes the hint and holds her to him, whispering her name as she starts to cry again. He just rocks her gently, rubbing his hands back and forth on her arms, letting her know he's there. When her sobs subside, she slides herself off of his lap to sit right next to him, her legs still draped over his lap and his arms supporting her back and neck. She twists her hands nervously before continuing.

"That's actually what happened here today. The man said something about the Queen offering me to any suit for good behavior. I guess he decided since the Queen couldn't command me to do it anymore, he would just help himself. He must have also figured that I would be only too pleased to serve him, as I'm certain I've pleased some suit or other and the story was passed along that I was eager to please." She looks up then, into his eyes. "I wasn't eager to please Jack, I was eager to stay alive." She sobs quietly and Jack tightens his arms around her in a hug.

"I know that now, my dearest Ileana. Can you ever forgive me for not noticing, for not stopping your torture? My mother is out of power now and I will keep you from ever feeling like that again. I will never force you or ask you to do anything you didn't choose to do of your own free will. The Queen's end is the end of your slavery." He kisses her temple. "No one will be permitted to treat you like a convenience ever again. I can't even imagine how terrible your time here must have been, and as much as it would pain me to lose you, if you choose to leave the monarchy, I would understand and I'll support you." Ileana pulls her head up, immediately regretting the movement as it makes her head spin. Before her head has even cleared, she mumbles out her question, her voice small and child-like.

"You wish me to leave Jack?" Jack curses himself quietly and pulls her head gently to face him.

"No my dear, never." Ileana looks into his eyes, desperate to see the love she wants. When she sees his caring and pained look, she decides it is enough and she tucks her loose hair behind her ear.

"Thank you Jack, I can't tell you how you've brought me peace of mind." She turns her head to look at the bed, her eyelids drooping tiredly. "I'm feeling so very tired now. Could you help me?" Jack stands, lifting her up with him to carry her bridal style to the bed. He sets her down gently, tosses the ice pack onto the floor and arranges her on her side, a pillow wedged under her lower back to keep her from rolling onto her head injury. He spreads the blanket over the bed and gently moves her hair off of her temple as he bends to kiss it.

"Sleep well." Jack quickly puts the dishes back onto the cart, all except the carafe of ice water, which he brings over to her night table, along with her glass. He pushes the cart into the hall, asks a suit to get rid of it then turns back into the room, switches off the light and crawls onto the bed next to Ileana, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she sleeps, peaceful.


	27. Chapter 27

**D.- ****It's decision time for Hatter, my friends. A huge thanks to Kittyinaz. I've read her work, it's wonderful. If you haven't already and have some time, as her stories are quite progressed already, I highly suggest it. Not every part of Hatter's job is shmoozing and sales. His responsibilities weigh on him. **

Hatter's head lolls down his chest, pulling the muscles in his neck and waking him from his sleepy, dissatisfying rest. He is still sitting on his couch, and his vision is filled with the used tea cups from the other day. He wants Alice back, so much that he can't remember doing anything in the last 12 or so hours. He thinks back to Alice's goodbye, her inviting him to visit. He thinks only for a moment about how good it would feel to see her again, to hold her again. He'd tell her how he wants her, with him forever. He'd tell her all the things about her that make her perfect for him. He'd tell her…

Hatter stands up and cleans off the table, washing his own tea cup, but unable to erase Alice's presence by washing hers. He puts the kettle on to make himself some tea and toast. He spreads a little of the preserves on his toast, smiling as he remembers telling Alice about them. He's never gotten his hands on a recipe, or he might have tried his hand at making some himself. He gobbles down his toast, pours the boiling water over the tea leaves in his pot, and then sets off for his bathroom. He pulls his clothing off, then unwraps his bandages, pulling them off with care. He sneers at his face in the mirror, the black eye having gotten darker and some new bruises having appeared along his ribs.

He has a quick shower, fighting off memories of his time with Alice. When he comes out, he reaches for a towel, finding neither are hanging on the towel rack. He steps forward to pick his up off the floor where Alice had let it fall after their shower when he catches sight of his face in the mirror. He steps up to the counter, getting his face as close to the mirror as possible. All the bruises have healed and his black eye is just a slightly green discoloration. At this rate, he'll be healed up before he finishes getting dressed. He shivers but steps back to check his torso. Again all the bruises have gone, and the welts are at least half the size. The blisters have healed over, but are still the same size. He flexes his muscles and feels no pain.

Smiling to himself, he leaves the bathroom and pulls a new fresh towel from his linen closet. He towels himself off roughly as he makes his way into his bedroom, no longer worried about splitting open healing sores. He slips on some boxers and socks before raiding his closet for anything that seems remotely human. He finds a pair of dark wash jeans, a gift from an old friend and pulls them on. They are a little loose, so puts on a leather belt to hold them up. He looks over at his suede coat, trying to imagine something that would look good with it. He finds a pin striped white and blue dress shirt. He puts it on and looks at himself in the mirror. He likes the look, so far, but when he adds the jacket, it looks off. He pulls the coat back off and strips out of the shirt. He pulls countless shirts out of his closet, but when held up to the coat, he doesn't like it. Sighing at his now empty closet, he shivers a little. Reaching into his dresser, he pulls out a plain white undershirt and pulls it on. Feeling the water slide down the nape of his neck, he towels his hair off again, and then decides to work on his hair.

He steps into the bathroom and straight into a puddle of water. Cursing, he removes his socks and throws them at the wall near his laundry hamper. He pulls the comb out of his drawer and attempts to comb down his hair. He parts it to the side, then holds it down against his head to keep it from flying up in all directions. He holds his hair down as he steps into the bedroom and pulls on his porkpie. Looking semi-respectable, he pulls on his suede coat and the look seems to fit him well enough. It is missing his personal flare, but he is trying to pass as a human, hoping to convince Jack to let him go to her. He reaches under the bed and pulls his teas out. He would have just dumped them, but he thought the water might somehow become tainted so he will take them with him to Jack. As Prince, its his job to take care of it. He looks around his apartment one last time. He is walking to the door, ready to leave when he spots Alice's tea cup, now sitting in his window sil. Taking a deep breath, he says aloud.

"Here I go, Alice, my luv. I'm coming for you." He pats his pocket to assure himself he has his mother's ring, but the pocket is empty. Panicked, he sets the breifcase down and walks through the apartment, trying to remember where the ring was. In the kitchen, he picks up Ileana's jar of preserves, intent on returning it to her. He slips the jar into his pocket and then slides the folded paper in as well. He goes to the bedroom, moves his enormous pile of clothing off of the bed, but still doesn't find the small box that held the ring he wants Alice to wear. He takes her coat with him though, hoping that she'll want to keep it in her world. He steps into the bathroom and pulls up his tan leather coat, hearing the two small boxes hit the floor. Dropping the coat again, he picks them both up, checks they are still holding the precious treasures and then puts them into Alice's coat pocket, zipping the pocket to be safe.

He breathes a sigh of relief and, stopping only to pick up his briefcase, he leaves the suite, locking the door behind him. Hatter slips out the tea house back door and makes his way casually around the building, noticing that in his time at his apartment, the crown gathered outside the shop has doubled and they are now crying out angry words and waving weapons. Hoping Dormie has left the shop with no immediate plans to return, he turns his back on the shop and walks the half dozen walkways that lead him back to the Looking Glass Hall.

Once inside, its easy enough to find his way back up to the right floor, but once in the section that he knows to be Duchess' rooms, the suits refuse to let him pass. He tries his best con man approach, and when that fails, he asks to be brought to the Prince. He'll get Jack to bring him to the Duchess once their tea destroying plans have been played out. The suits just raise an eyebrow at him.

"He's with the duchess and they are not to be disturbed." Hatter rolls his eyes.

"The matter I need to see him about is really very time sensitive. I'm sure if one of you fine, upstanding gentlemen would just knock-" The suit closest to Hatter decides he's had enough of the young man and reaches to grab his free arm. Hatter pulls his arm back quickly, but the man reaches again. "Fine, fine, nevermind. If I can't see the Prince, I can discuss this matter with his minister and the Carpenter." The suit stops mid-reach and straightens.

"You may continue down this hall. Both men are at the Looking Glass and you can seek their audience." Hatter edges around the group of men and straightens his hat before walking down to the Looking Glass. When he arrives, he spots Robert with the technicians, setting co-ordinates no doubt, and the minister is standing across the room, watching the hall and all of it's inhabitants. Hatter notices the room is much less crowded, only a handful of people left to be returned. He walks up to Robert, who turns with a happy expression on his face.

"Hello young man!" He notices Hatter's completely recovered face. "You're looking well today." Hatter smiles a quick, tight smile before pulling Robert away from the technicians. The minister takes notice and approaches them as well. Hatter just turns his hand to keep the briefcase between him and Robert before he speaks.

"Has the Prince decided what to do about the teas then?" Robert's brow crumples in confusion but the minister is quick to reply.

"All teas are to be confiscated and disposed of in a timely manner." Hatter nodded thoughtfully.

"But how? Do you just pour them down the drain and into the water works? Or pour them out onto the grass somewhere and hope the plants don't get affected?" The minister opens his mouth to reply, but no sound comes out for a second. He closes his mouth and waits, a thoughtful look on his face.

"To be sure, I don't know. Perhaps the Prince would kno-" Hatter just shakes his head.

"He's in with the Duchess at the moment and refusing to be disturbed." The minister blushes a little but continues in his most dignified voice.

"Well, it's not a very pressing matter now is it? He'll dispatch men to the cities to clean up the tea shops and such, and they will dispose of them in whatever manner he sees fit." Hatter rolls his eyes impatiently.

"That does me no good. As a tea shop owner, I have-" The minister waves him into silence.

"When we establish a new economy, people having lost revenue during the change over shall be duly recompensed. Until such a time, we ask that you do your best and tough it out." Hatter finally cracks and steps very close to the minister, which upsets the suits but they are stopped dead by the look Hatter throws their way.

"I'm not looking for a reward. I am looking for a way to dispose of the undiluted portion of my shop's stock. I had these liquids locked away to keep tea heads at bay and now they are in my briefcase, waiting for the Prince to tell me what to do with them. I need to destroy them as soon as I know how, to prevent people from finding out that I've got them." The Minister's eyes grow wide. Hatter doesn't like the way his eyes start watching the briefcase.

"I can take them into my custody until the Prince becomes available." He reaches for the briefcase and Hatter pulls it back behind him.

"I'd really much prefer not to leave such a dangerous task to anyone else. I'm the tea shop owner, it's my responsibility." Robert nods, lost in thought of the possible repercussions of pouring out the teas. The minister tries to protest.

"I really do think that the Prince would prefer to have the teas locked away in the hands of his trusted suits." His jaw is clenched tight as he finishes his thought. "Give me the teas boy!" Hatter moves his hand forward, watching the menacing look turn to one of greed and satisfaction. When the minister reaches for the briefcase, he pulls it back, steps around him and runs from the hall as fast as he can. The minister and his suits take off after him and the sudden movement startles Robert, who then wades through the crowd to follow them.


	28. Chapter 28

**D.- For the ever-charming scubagurl22, who is always so enthusiastic with her praise and her opinions. I never thought about Robert being able to ruin their whole 'undeclared love' thing, it is certainly a different point of view. ****I made Robert talk to Hatter after she left because Jack was busy and Charlie would be too, heading up the new knights and all. Besides, I let Robert express his first impression of his grown up daughter to sort of smooth the transition for when he returns to our world. That scene is giving me so much trouble. I can't even tell you…Anyway, enjoy!**

As Hatter nears the Duchess' room at full speed, the suits step forward to stop him, standing next to each other in a solid line of men in very weird suits. Hatter runs to the man at the end, farthest from the door and stops dead. He looks back at the minister and suits, then faces the man standing defensively, 4 men in line behind him, blocking the door. Flexing his right hand, he lets loose and watches them tumble like dominoes. He climbs over their prone forms, screaming for Jack as he reaches the door, banging loudly. The minister's suits grab his hands and Hatter calls out louder as they pull the briefcase away. Just when one of the men is about to pass the briefcase to the minister, the door opens to reveal Jack with his dress shirt open over his undershirt and his perfectly gelled hair messed up on the right side.

"What on earth is going on here? The lady needs her rest and I distinctly remember asking NOT to be disturbed." The minister flushes guiltily and Hatter speaks up quickly.

"Jack, my briefcase, it's got undiluted teas in it. The minister wants to take them from me." Jack is confused by the rushed words, but the Prince extends his hands to the man with the briefcase anyway.

"I'll take that, thank you." He switches the briefcase to one hand while motioning with the other hand to let Hatter stand. Hatter stands, picks up Alice's coat, laying it carefully over his now empty left arm. When he is finished and standing, he is then motioned into the room with Jack, who shuts the door on the approaching minister. Hatter smiles gratefully at Jack and looks up at him.

"Thanks Jack. Look, I wouldn't have brought these here, except I don't plan on returning to my tea shop in the future. I've gathered up all my undiluted teas and brought them here to keep them out of the hands of the tea heads about to ransack the shop. They would have been safe where they were, but getting back into my office to get them would have been a pain in the-" Jack lifts a hand to silence him.

"Thanks for your trouble Hatter, but why didn't you just dispose of them there?"

"Ahh, see, now that's the problem. I don't know how. I thought about dumping them down the drain, but I wasn't sure if that could pollute the water system. I don't know if you can filter emotions, you know?" He lays Alice's coat over the back of a chair and leans against it as he continues. "And if I just dumped it on the grass or plants, could they be affected? Could their leaves be used to brew tea that would get people high? I thought it best to bring them to you, but the suits refused to bother you. I went instead to Carpenter, figurin' he would know how to get rid of 'em, but when I was asking him, the minister started trying to take the briefcase and I just don't trust anyone. Not all tea heads are easy to spot you know, and some of these teas are dangerous." Jack nods as he sets the briefcase on the coffee table. He opens the case and finds full, strongly colored bottles with labels like 'Lust, Greed, Envy and Pride.' Jack closes the briefcase and stashes it under the Duchess' couch, sitting on it and facing Hatter.

"I will be in this room for the next few days, the Duchess had an accident and needs round the clock care. When I leave the room, I will be sure to keep the briefcase with me or figure out how to destroy the teas first." Hatter steps around the chair, casting a quick glance at the bed before sitting.

"Is she ok? I mean, it's not too serious, right?" Jack is taken aback at Hatter's reaction and clearly very mistrusting. Hatter takes his hat off and lets it sit in his lap as he diffuses Jack's anger. "Ileana let me sit in with her and her seamstresses for a while after Alice left. She didn't want me to be alone with my thoughts." He smiles almost wistfully as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out the haleberry jam. "She gave me these preserves to patch me up, and as you can see from my lack of black eye, they worked a treat." He looks at the bottom of it, where there is just enough for toast. "I'm feeling much better, perhaps she'd like them back?" He extends the jar to Jack, who takes it with a disbelieving look.

"I didn't know that Ileana could make haleberry preserves. I didn't even know they still grew in Wonderland." Hatter sits forward as he explains.

"She said someone else made them, like a maid or something. I've never seen the berries anywhere but in the old chess village. I fed some to Alice after I caught up with her runaway horse, to settle her nerves and her stomach." Hatter grips the brim of his hat tightly, trying to fight off memories. Jack watches him suffer a moment, feeling the pang of sympathy. Hatter releases his hat, the brim a little mangled before he continues. "I only had a mouthful on some toast, so whatever is wrong, it should be fixed right up with what's left in the jar." Hatter stands, puts his hat on his head and walks around the chair. He fingers Alice's coat where it lay on the chair.

"I know you miss her…." Hatter smiles grimly.

"I do miss her, but she's better where she is. I was hoping, that if I came to you personally and tied up all the loose ends of my tea shop, that you might let me go to her." Jack is pensive a moment and Hatter continues, desperate to convince him. "I need you to know that I would do anything it takes to get to her. I can't pay you anything of value, seeing as my trade goods were all teas, which are now worthless, but I can make her happy. If you ever really loved her, even for a moment, you'd let me go to her." Jack grimaces.

"Of course I loved Alice. I asked her to wear my ring, didn't I?" He breathes out quickly. "But things change and I know that her trip back might have changed her mind. What makes you think that she still wants you." Hatter grins confidantly.

"I don't need to think. I know she loves me. I know that the time we had together was too perfect to forget and that she's hurting without me. I need to get to her." He sighs and looks at Jack, his emotions clear in his eyes. "Please Jack." Hatter steps back around the chair and gets down on his knees. "I'd do anything." Jack is again considering when the Duchess stands from the bed, their voices having woken her. The sound of her sliding the blankets off and standing pushes all thought of Hatter's plight from Jack's mind. He leaps from the chair and races to her side, anxious to assure her that she is safe and that Hatter means her no harm. Ileana laughs lightly.

"Hatter has no reason to hurt me. With any luck, you'll send him through the Looking Glass to find his Alice as soon as may be." She is assisted over to the couch and Jack sits between her and Hatter. Hatter stands up from his knees and bows gallantly.

"Milady." Is his gamin reply. Ileana nods, a grimace of pain taking over her features. Jack is quick to grab her hand to comfort her. He pulls her hand over into his lap, wrapping his hands around her smaller one. She smiles tightly and rests her head sideways on the back of the couch. Hatter walks over to the phone, sees that number 067 was the kitchen. He asks them to bring up some tea and toast, for two. Jack glares at him a moment before Hatter explains. "Would you have rathered get up off the couch to call?" He watches Jack's glare fall away as he looks at Ileana. "Thought not. Well, if you'll just tell me what I need to do to convince you that I should be allowed to go to Alice, I'll get to it and the two of you can enjoy your tea." Jack looks back at the man, and then to the Duchess.

"What do you think my dear? He could pass for human, I mean, his style is a little more than questionable, and that hat would have to go, but otherwise, his appearance is acceptable. A white rabbit briefing should be sufficient to teach him the major differences between our worlds and I have an apartment that I will no longer be needing. You wouldn't have a lot of money, but I've some of her worlds paper in the banks. We can arrange for you to get access." He looks over at Duchess, letting her have her say. She goggles a bit at the Prince seeking her advice and approval, but is pleased to give it.

"But what would he do there? Are you just after a quick roll and then back to Wonderland when you've tired of her? What are your intentions for the Lady Alice?" Hatter grins at her as he pulls the small box from Alice's coat pocket. He opens it and hands it to the couple.

"It was my mum's. She died when I was young and I always kept it with me. I can't think of a better place for it than on Alice's hand, where it will always match her eyes." Jack smiles ruefully.

"Alice puts great store in rings, she says that they mean something big and she might throw it back in your face." Hatter is nonplussed.

"Then I'll wait until I can convince her. She's lovely when she's mad you know." He smiles as Duchess hands back his ring. He tucks it lovingly back into the purple coat pocket and stands like a suspected criminal, awaiting his sentence, awaiting the final decision. Jack looks at Duchess, who nods discreetly and smiles. Jack stands, shakes Hatter's hand and moves to the phone. Hatter lets loose his biggest smile and hears Jack call for the White Rabbit agents.

"Attend their briefing, see the forgers for ID and the other necessary papers. Alice will know what to do with them to get you access to the money I have saved up. We'll only keep the portal open for the time it takes to fetch all of our people back and then open it when we need something to help rebuild. You will only be guaranteed a return trip if you return within the first 24 hours." Jack walks Hatter to the door. He claps a hand on his shoulder and smiles.

"Make sure to see her father before you leave. If he's ready, he can return with you." The White Rabbit operative knocks on the door then. Ileana stands and Jack helps her over to Hatter. She thanks him for his company, wishes him luck and gives him a hug and a peck on the cheek. Hatter blushes and again reaches out a hand to Jack. Jack shakes it and they both speak at once.

"Take care of her." Hatter laughs as he turns from the couple, grabs Alice's coat and follows the White Rabbit over to the Looking Glass.


	29. Chapter 29

**D.- For the lovely CelticBriarRose, who is anxious for Hatter to get to Alice. We're well on our way here, only 3 more chapters to go before the sequel, which I regret to say has me stuck on chapter two, when Robert Arrives. That man is screwing up my vibe….Anyway, I hope to find some inspiration for it really soon and that I will be getting some serious writing done. In the meantime, let's watch Hatter get one big step closer to his Alice.**

Hatter is escorted back towards the Looking Glass and when Robert sees him and notices the missing briefcase, he casts a worried glance around for the Minister of Clubs. Hatter waves him to silence as he listens to the operative explain how the mirror works. Hatter interrupts gently.

"I know you've been told to brief me, but here's the thing. I'm going to the other side to stay with an oyster, as in permanently. She'll know more than I could ever need to, so I only need the brief overview. How do I get from where I land to where she lives? Where do I get the papers the prince told me to pick up? When will I get there?" Hatter looks up into the agent's considerably less bored face. "You know, the important stuff." The agent shrugs and motions for him to follow but Robert calls out, halting their progress.

"Wait! You're going over after Alice? Are you sure you want to give this world up?" Hatter smiles, tips his hat forward a bit and grins.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure. Your daughter is absolutely worth it." He claps Robert on the arm. "The king says if you're ready, you can travel with me." Robert looks frightened and casts a glance at the people around him.

"I could go, I really want to go, see my Carol again, but what if she's changed, or moved on?" He takes a deep breath. "Besides, I should stay and assist in cleaning up the mess I made. I will follow along when this is cleared up." Hatter accepts his promise and makes one of his own.

"I'll look after them for you, until you get back. I suspect I'll have my hands full with Alice alone, so don't take too long, for the sake of my sanity." Robert laughs, a full, booming laugh. Hatter nods his head in a 'goodbye for now' gesture and follows the agent down the stairs two levels to the training area. There he is given the basic presentation. There world uses things called "Dollars" instead of trade. He is shown American currency, a quick explanation of each piece, from the penny to the hundred dollar bill. He is shown pictures of transportation, from subways to airplanes. He is also shown pictures of emergency services personnel and their vehicles. He sees pictures of all of these elements combined, depicting life in Alice's world. The colors blur a little and seem to have been moving very fast. Hatter watches the pictures until the slides ended. The man bids him stand and escorts him to the forgers. There they ask him for a name that he will be comfortable answering to. He tries Hatter but they explain that he needs at least two names and that Hatter means something different in the other world. At a loss, Hatter looks to the agent that had been helping him. The man tilts his head and blurts out:

"David Sparrow." The forgers nod and imput this name into the ID, laminating it. They explain all the documents and pictures. The purpose of the documents is completely lost on him, but they make sure to impress that his 'wallet' and his 'ID' are very important. He is to keep them in his possession at all time, because people there need them for a lot of things. They also include, inside the wallet, an 'address' to the Prince's apartment, as well as the Lady Alice's address. Tucking the 'wallet' into his pants pocket he feels his hat lift off of his head.

"Oi! What the-" The agent puts the hat on the table.

"People don't wear hats like that in the oyster world. We do have a small collection of hats here if you are set on having a hat with you. They are all top of the line and in style in their world." Hatter looks at his trusted porkpie and he reaches for the velvet coat. The man stops him again. "If you like, we can leave the coat with the Duchess. She'll be sure to take care of it until you return." Hatter looks up at him in shock.

"People don't wear coats either there?" The man picks up the jacket and Hatter grabs it from his hands. "This belongs to the oyster, I mean to return it." The man looks at him oddly, but lets him take the jacket with him to pick out a new hat. The man leads the way and Hatter scoops his hat up and tucks it into the sleeve of her coat while he has his back turned. Hatter looks over the hats and pulls up a black fedora. It is too sombre for him to really like it, but it is the least terrible among their hats. Setting it on his head, holding the package of papers and the coat to his breast, he breathes out a small. "I'm ready." The man nods and escorts him back up to the Hall. He is told to sit and wait his turn, that once the last oyster has been sent home, he will be next.

Hatter looks around the Hall, counting the number of oysters. Seeing only three more, he takes a deep breath. He fidgets and twists the coat in his hand. He looks around and spots someone in shining white armor walk into the room.

"Charlie?" He calls out and watches as the man makes his way over to him.

"Harbinger? What are you doing here?" Hatter smiles and takes the ridiculous hat off, setting in in his already full lap.

"I'm going to go to Alice, Charlie. I've been cleared to go, given some of the paper they use for buying things and I'm going to step through the Looking Glass when all the oysters are gone." Charlie smiles.

"The Lady Alice will be most pleased. I wish you the very best and hope you will deign to visit as often as you can." Hatter claps a hand on his shoulder, thinking it may be impossible to visit if Jack shuts down the Looking Glass. He thinks of a more suitable topic.

"What are you going to do now that the great rising of the knights is over?" Charlie beams with pride.

"I am going to head an agency that will begin training young knights. The Prince himself has asked me personally to oversee their training." Hatter looks suitably impressed and an idea comes to him. He pulls out his keys and the piece of folded paper that had Alice's dress on it. He scribbles down the 5 digit code to his apartment, explains the idea of Charlie taking over the tea shop and converting it to a training facility. He would have a proper shelter and the building would not sit empty in his wake. He also writes down the name and address of his partner Dormie, so that the prince can find him and buy him out of his half of the building. He marks the key to his office with a star and hands him the bundle as Robert calls his name. It is finally Hatter's turn to cross the mirror. His nerves tingle and his belly is doing flippy things, just like Alice did to Dodo. He hugs Charlie quickly before stepping back completely.

"Wish me luck Charlie." With that, Hatter puts on his new hat, folds Alice's coat over his arm, and then steps up to the mirror. He double checks that he has his 'wallet', the keys to Jack's flat, his dollars and the coat. He feels for the two boxes and his hat inside the purple coat and grips his package of papers. When he steps forward, Robert smiles at him, making a goodbye gesture and the technician asks him to step up to the mirror. He barely hears the command to "Breathe." when he is pushed in. He feels like he is falling as the bright colors flow by him. He clutches the items to his breast as he falls, breathing in a small amount of air, perfumed by the purple coat. He closes his eyes as he smells his Alice and then he hits ground.


	30. Chapter 30

**D.- Hatter FINALLY makes it back to Alice, but we all know how that goes…don't we? This chapter is dedicated to my newest reviewer BurningDecks, who wrote me out a really lovely, very flattering review that I am still smiling about. If I may say so myself, welcome to the Fanfiction family, I'd check out Casy Dee's fics, if you haven't already. "Always" and "Forever" have to be two of my favorite stories on here. Forever isn't complete yet, but she updates regularly. Always is in my Favorite Stories as well as one called "Crumbs in the butter" Brumeier wrote a wopper there as well. So just a few suggestions, if you've got the time and the inclination. On a completely special note, that won't make any sense to anyone but celticbriarrose and even then, not until the end of this chapter, don't be mad at me, the story cuts where it can be cut organically. :D**

Hatter opens his eyes and looks around where he landed. He'd been told that he would be sent back to shortly after Alice had landed. They had advised him to take his things to the apartment Jack had left him and contact her in the morning. He bundles the papers into the purple coat and then he notices something blue laying motionless on the ground. He leaves the bundle next to the wall and steps over to her, falling to his knees beside her.

"Alice? Alice, luv, you ok?" He isn't sure what to do for her, but goes with his instinct and rolls her onto her back. He holds his head down to her lips, listening for breathing. When he it, he swears it's the most perfect sound in the world and he smiles up at the darkening sky, pulling back the tears in his eyes. He bends and lifts her up, carrying her in the building as he screams for help. He hears a voice call back

"Alice? Alice!" He looks down at her face, smiling in relief as he yells back.

"She's over here!" He holds her in his arms until the lady manages to find him, her flashlight blinding him momentarily. The woman is wearing a white shirt and dark slacks. Her eyes are filled with tears.

"Oh God! Alice! What happened?" Hatter replies carefully.

"I don't know ma'am, I just found her there on the ground. I didn't want to leave her to go get help so I brought her with me. Where's the nearest hospital?" The woman touches Alice's hair gently.

"My poor baby." The woman steadies herself. "I think Brookside Memorial is the closest. I'll hail a cab for us." They make their way quickly but carefully out of the old building to the road. The woman asks him to stay at the curb for a moment, then dashes into a nearby building. She returns with a small bag over her shoulder and a tiny phone pressed to her face. She is speaking rapidly when she meets up with him. "He found her unconscious on the floor of an old abandoned building. She's warm and breathing but I want someone to be waiting when we get there. Thank you." She presses a button and Hatter looks at her expectantly. She takes a breath before explaining.

"I called a cab, they'll be faster than an ambulance. I also called ahead to the hospital, they'll have a stretcher ready when we pull up." A yellow car that reads TAXI came around the corner and pulls up in front of them. The lady opens the door and he shuffles in, mindful of Alice's limbs. She closes the door gently and sits in the front seat. "Brookside Memorial, and hurry." The cab driver pulls away from the curb jerkily, making Hatter clutch Alice tighter. When the lady turns back to him, he is looking down at Alice's sleeping face, craddling her head in his hands. The lady speaking to him pulls him out of his thoughts. "My name is Carol. Carol Hamilton."

Hatter recalls the name on his new ID. "My name is David Sparrow, Mrs. Hamilton. Will she be ok when we get to the hospital?" Carol tilts her head, confused.

"I'm sure they'll take good care of her. Exactly how did you find my daughter in that old building?" Hatter looks up into her eyes for a moment, but before he can reply, the car turns sharply, making Hatter pull Alice closer in defense.

"I was heading back into the building to get my things. I was working there earlier today and forgot some stuff by accident." Carol nods sagely.

"Ahh, a construction worker, right? Are they fixing that old building up then?" Hatter nods non-commitally and the conversation dies out as the car slows to a stop.

"Here we are." The driver pushes a button and then takes some dollars from Carol as she steps out of the car, she motions some men with a rolling bed over to the car and then opens the door. The first man reaches to take her from Hatter, but the lady medic stops him.

"Don't jarr her more than necessary." She looks at Hatter. "Just set her down as gently as you can on this bed sir." Hatter sighs as he starts to lower her down. The lady reaches forward and supports her head and together they lower Alice down safely. As soon as his arms are empty, he wraps them around himself. Carol watches him bizarrely for a moment and he straightens as the car pulls away. Carol follows the bed into the glass building and Hatter really wants to follow her, but isn't sure of the protocol. Jack and the white rabbit guys had never expected him to arrive to an unconscious Alice. She was supposed to help him on this side of the mirror, not the other way around. When Carol turns back to look at him , she takes pity on his forlorn face.

"You can come in and wait with me if you like." Hatter runs to catch her up. Inside, Carol is handed a clipboard full of lines and boxes, which Hatter watches her fill out as she rants about her daughter and the last time she had to bring her to the hosiptal. Apparently, when she was studying at the dojo, she injured herself and her sensei had rushed her to this very same hospital. Hatter files away the information and begins ringing his hat in his hands. Carol stops writing to lay her hand on his.

"You're not used to waiting in a hospital, are you? Just take a deep breath and think about something else." Carol puts the finishing touches on the paper and brings it back to the counter just inside the door. The lady there motions for her to go sit. She comes back to Hatter, sits down and turns to him. "Tell me about yourself." Hatter's eyes grow wide and he looks down at his hat, unsure of what to say. Carol continues to press him. "Come on, don't just sit here in silence, then we'll both be worrying about Alice. Distract me, tell me about yourself." Hatter takes a deep breath and starts with the most obvious parts of his life.

"My name is David Sparrow, I'm 24 and I moved to New York after I left my family's tea shop. This man I knew used to tell me all about how he lived here, had a little yellow house and a pretty little family. It made me want to see it for myself." Carol makes a surprised sound in her throat and Hatter looks up at her. She apologizes for interrupting.

"Sorry, I've just never met anyone so adventurous. What made you decide on construction from the tea shop business?" Hatter smiled hopefully.

"Just time for a change I suppose. My friend Robert told me that the States needed more construction workers, so I sold my shop and bought a plane ticket." He is running out of ideas to tell her and is panicking inside when a lady appears and calls out.

"Hamilton?" Carol stands up and Hatter's eyes shoot to the lady. Carol grabs his hand and drags him with her to the lady. The nurse looks at them. "Immediate family for Alice Hamilton?" Hatter tries to pull his hand back but Carol's grip is like iron. She nods, her eyes begging the woman to have good news for her. The nurse smiles a little in a practiced gesture. "Alice is stable, she's a little dehydrated and exhausted. You can see her, but she isn't awake and shouldn't be disturbed. You'll most likely be able to take her home tomorrow, after a night of observation." Carol pulls Hatter's hand into the crook of her arm, gripping his wrist with both her hands as she follows the nurse. Hatter is forced along, and although he's eager to see Alice, he feels out of place.

They arrive at Alice's room and the nurse only gestures into the door before heading back to the waiting room. Carol releases his arm, rushing to the bedside. She gently touches Alice's hair, careful not to wake her. Hatter pulls up a chair for her to sit in. Carol looks up at him wide-eyed and grateful.

"Thank you David. For everything," Hatter nods.

"You're welcome Carol." Carol seems content to sit and fuss over Alice and Hatter is getting anxious. He needs to do something to take his mind off of his beautiful Alice, laying still and silent, attached by all sorts of wires. The one coming from her hand looks like it would be painful, but the wires coming out of the collar of her shirt worry him more. If these people have poked little holes in her wonderful breasts, he is going to have to introduce them all to a swift right hook. He takes a deep breath, then gently taps Carol's shoulder "Can I get you anything Carol?" She smiles at him and shakes her head.

"No thank you David, I'd just finished having dinner with my daughter and her boyfriend Jack about an hour before she you found her. I'm still stuffed." Hatter's mind registers that Alice had only been gone from her home for an hour. The techincians bust have sent her back in time, to keep her mom from worrying. He doesn't think to censor his words before he speaks.

"Jack Chase." He says a little ironically. Carol turns to him, watching him carefully.

"Yes, that's his name. Do you know him?" Hatter panics for a moment, before remembering that he now has Jack's apartment.

"Uh yeah, we live in the same building. Jack Chase is Alice's boyfriend? Wow, small world then eh?" The conversation dies off, Hatter clearly uncomfortable so Carol doesn't push. Maybe they weren't friends. Hatter settles into a chair and relaxes, closing his eyes. Carol begins to murmur to her daughter about the man sleeping nearby.

A little while later, a male nurse steps into the room. He notices the lady sitting next to the patient and the young man resting in a chair, eyes closed and hat on his knee. He speaks softly, but with command.

"I'm sorry but visiting hours are over, I'm going to have to ask you both to say your goodbyes." Alice's mom stands straight up and walks over to him, Hatter grabs his hat and sits up properly, rubbing his eyes and facing towards Alice, still sleeping peacfully.

"I'm not leaving my daughter here, to wake up in a hospital by herself. I'll be staying here." Hatter stands up.

"Carol, I don't think Alice would want you to spend the night curled up on a chair." He cracks his back for good measure. "You told me that they would take good care of her so go home tonight, sleep well and come back in the morning. You're of no use to anyone tired and sore." Carol looks over at him, smiles gently and nods.

"You're right David, I'm sure they'll keep an eye on her." She walks over to Alice, lays a kiss on her brow and whispers: "Sleep well Alice, you're safe now." Hatter looks over at Alice, his heart breaking at the thought of leaving her here, but he steps over to Carol.

"Come along, I'll get you home." She smiles and follows him out, the nurse closing the door to Alice's room, heading on to the next room. Hatter extends his hand for Carol to take and when she does, he tucks her hand into the crook of his elbow, just as she had done on the way in. He walks with her out of the hospital, spotting a small cul-de-sac filled with taxis. He steps up to the first one, hands Carol into the back seat, then walks around and sits on the other side. Carol is telling the driver her address and then she leans back into the seat, putting on her seat belt. Hatter reaches back and pulls one on himself and watches the roads as they make their way back to Carol's apartment. When they arrive, Carol refuses to let him pay for their journey.

"After what you've done for my daughter, I'd never forgive myself if I let you pay." She hands the driver sufficient dollars and Hatter steps back. He walks her to the door.

"Well it's been quite an evening. I hope you manage to sleep well and I wish Alice a speedy recovery." Carol pulls a business card and a pen out of her purse. She scribbles her address and phone number on it before handing it to him.

"The nurse mentioned that Alice will be coming home tomorrow. You should come by, maybe around 2 and see her. I'm sure she'd like to meet the man that saved her." Hatter almost dies of happiness and tucks the piece of paper into his pocket, next to his wallet.

"I'd really like that. Thank you Carol. Goodnight." Carol steps into the building and the door closes, leaving Hatter alone outside.


	31. Chapter 31

**D.- For Celticbriarrose, who loves Hatter. Well this is a whole lot of Hatter, only a few other people mentioned in this chapter. This is the second to last chapter in this story.**

As he steps away from the apartment building, he sees the old foreclosed structure where he had found Alice. He walks around, having difficulty finding anything in the dark. Only streetlights from outside light his path. He stumbles into walls and his boots connect with things in the dark, but he works his way into the dark. He recognises the area he found Alice and crouches down. There is only one window in this room and it doesn't light it up enough to see where he left his things. He hopes they are still there as he shuffles along the wall, hoping to find his bundle. He wishes for the millionth time that he had a flash light when he feels his hand brush something soft. He reaches for it again and feels the familiar touch of velvet. Careful not to drop the things inside, he slides his hand under the soft fabric. He holds it to his chest with one arm as he uses the other to find his way out. When he makes it out of the questionably sturdy ediface, he walks to the street and looks both ways. He pulls his wallet out, removes the address for Jack's apartment and puts Alice's mom's card in.

Hatter walks to the left, hearing the grumble and whirring of cars driving. He doesn't see anyone that he can ask directions from, but walks along, calmly observing the streets around him. After a few minutes, he comes upon the busy road with all the cars driving on it. On the street corner, he sees a sign with Alice's street, Dalhousie Blvd., and the busy street, which is called First St. He notices that he's standing outside a building with an open sign in the window and a lot of things stacked on shelves. He steps in and looks around. He sees an older gentleman behind the counter, reading a paper. Hatter clears his throat and steps up to the man.

"Hello there sir, I'm wondering, which way is…" He reads the paper aloud. "1291 Kennedy road, apt. PH suite" The man doesn't look up from his paper, doesn't acknowledge him at all at first. Hatter is about to repeat himself when the man flips the page and answers in a bored tone.

"Kennedy is two blocks over. Take a left when you exit the store." Hatter draws a little map of his travels so far in his head, to remember how to get back to Alice's home tomorrow.

"Alright, well thanks for that," He nods and walks toward the door, but the man calls out to him.

"What have you got in the coat kid? Just cause I'm old doesn't mean I'm blind. Put it back and I won't have to call the cops." Hatter freezes and turns around.

"Me sir? I've not taken anything from ye." He comes back to the counter, lifts the coat onto the counter and lets it fall open, revealing his little folder of important documents and his hat sticking out of one of the sleeves. He pulls it out and sets it in with the folder. "S'just me hat and the documents I need to stay here. This coat belongs to a girl I met, I'm going to give it back to her tomorrow." The man is skeptical, but notices the official documents, like his bank statements and birth certificate.

"You new to the country then?" Hatter smiles a little.

"Yes sir, m' names Ha- David, David Sparrow." He extends his hand over to the man, who shakes it firmly.

"Timothy Arterton." Hatter smiles genuinely before he begins folding the coat around his things. The man notices the bulging pocket and asks him about it. Hatter looks uncomfortable, but pulls out his two treasures. He shows the man the cufflinks, and then the ring.

"These belonged to my parents, I couldn't bear to leave them behind." The man nods pensively.

"Take good care of those then. Are you here alone?" The man's eyes were sad and piercing. Hatter nods as he tucks his treasures back into the pockets. The man pulls a plastic bag out from behind the counter. "Set your things in here now, no sense in ruining the lady's coat." Hatter does as he's told, grateful for the man's help He folds Alice's coat properly before setting it on top.

"Thank you very much for the bag, sir. I'll let you get back to your reading." The man nods dismissively before making one final remark.

"You shouldn't travel with those things son, those documents and your jewellery need to be locked up somewhere safe. Don't leave the house with those again." Hatter nods eagerly, adjusts his hat and thanks him again.

"Thanks for the tip, Timothy. I hope we meet again." Hatter takes his bag and leaves the store, turning to the left and walking away with a smile on his face. He gets to the first corner and there is a lit up sign of an orange hand. He waves at it, thinking it might do something cool, but nothing happens. He is about to step into the street when a car comes around the corner and he jumps back quickly to avoid being hit. The driver is screaming at him from the window and Hatter stares after him from the sidewalk. The hand signal turns to a walking man and Hatter remembers the video on traffic signs. Little man means go, little hand means stop. Shaking his head, he looks carefully in both directions before he walks across.

At the next corner, he sees that the name of the street was Kennedy. Looking down at the paper in his hand to remember the number, he looks back up, wanting to find the number of the house. He decides against crossing the street and just starts walking to his right, his head craning to see the numbers of the houses. The first building is # 710. He keeps walking along, but the next building's number is no where to be seen. He checks the next one and it is 685. Hatter walks to the next house, just to be sure, but when the number 679 glares back at him, he realizes he would have to cross the even busier road. He turns around and almost bumps into some guys walking.

"Sorry lads, didn't mean to." The three men stop and turn to face him.

"Oh ho! Looks like we've got ourselves a brit!" The first one says in a very loud, obnoxious voice. Hatter smiles reservedly and nods. The other two guys step up to flank their friend.

"He doesn't look like he's from around here, looks like a tourist." Hatter just tilts his head confused.

"I just moved into a place on this street, but I've never been there before." The first man steps forward again and Hatter shifts his bag to his left hand, tucking it behind him.

"Let us help you find it then, neighbor." His sly smile makes Hatter wary.

"No, I've got it now. Just turned the wrong way on the street. Again, thanks though." The men are circling Hatter now, and Hatter grips the handle tightly, preparing to strike. The first man reaches out to touch the bag and Hatter cocks back his fist and lets it fly into the man's face. When he goes down with a sickening crunch and Hatter flexes his hand, the other two men pick up their friend and take off. Hatter just smiles and waves to their retreating forms, calling after them. "Thanks again, neighbors!"

Hatter smiles to himself and walks back to the corner. He waits for a minute at the street but the little man never shows up. He looks back and forth at the cars travelling and is about to make a mad dash when someone on the other side of the street pushes a button. Hatter looked to the pole beside him and sees that he has a button too. He pushes it once and waits. He sees the little man appear and walks quickly across the street, nodding to the person walking opposite him. When he reaches the otherside, he continues to walk, past a small park, and then the first building he comes to is 1050. He smiles and continue, checking buildings as he goes. When he arrives at 1286, he figures the next building will be his, but instead, its 1294. Confused, he looks between the two buildings, 1286 and 1294. He walks down the alley between the two buildings, seeing no secret doors or hidden stairwells. He turns and walks back to the street, confused until he sees the building across the street.

He can make out the '1291' clearly on the well lit glass doors. He looks for cars before he runs across the street. He opens the first door and then reaches for the second, finding it locked. He pulls out the keys to Jack's place. There are three. The first one he tries has 'PH' inscribed. It doesn't work. The second one is round at one end and has no markings on it. He tries it and, thankfully, it works. Now that he is past the door, he is in a room with two more doors. Between the doors, there are two buttons. One has an arrow up, the other has an arrow down. Unsure which way he wants to go to get to 'apt. PH Suite', he pushes both. One door immediately makes a strange 'ping' and the doors slide open. Hatter is relieved to find an elevator. He looks at the buttons inside. He catches his tongue between his teeth as he reads the buttons 1 through 21 and at the very top, a PH button. He presses that one but it doesn't work. He then notices that the PH button isn't lit like the others and it has a keyhole next to it. Understanding dawns and he puts his 'PH' key into the hole and turns it. The button lights up and he presses it. The doors close and he zooms up. At the top, when the doors open, he steps into the hall, looking around. He steps back into the elevator, removes his key and slips it back into his pocket before he steps out. As the doors close behind him, Hatter notices that there is only one door to his left and across from the elevator, there is a table with flowers and a phone on it and a well carved chair.

Hatter pulls the last key up and uses it to open the door. He turns on the lights and stands, lips curled up in disgust at the decorated apartment. The walls are a bright red, and all the furniture is black and white. He turns on the light in a small room to the left of the front door and he notices right away that it has white walls. The toilet and shower are both steel and the floor has a carpet with a big bold heart on it.

Hatter wanders into the kitchen, after locking the door to the suite. The tiles on the wall are checkered in black and red tile and the counter tops are all white with steel appliances. Hatter just shakes his head and turns away. His eyes fall on the giant window he can just make out through a doorway. He steps through but leaves the light off, certain that this room will be decorated no better than what he's seen so far. He can make out the four poster bed against the wall with drapes and end tables. He sees the low tables and sofa chairs sitting in front of the window, but he just steps past them all and walks up to the window, marveling at everything he can see. There is that lovely park and he can see all sorts of buildings, some with plants on top of them. He briefly wonders if this building has some plants on the roof, but he can't muster up the will to leave the sight. All the pretty lights of the city, along the roads, up the buildings, even the moon is brightly shining. He just sets his bag down gently on the coffee table and pulls a chair up to the window for a few moments of calm. What seems like a long time later, judging by all the cars that drove by on the streets and the people walking around, he guesses that its getting close to the morning. Hatter walks back into the kitchen and living room area, but the clocks all read:

"10:35?" Hatter shakes his head in disbelief. 'The man at the hospital had said it was 9. It's only been an hour and a half?' He thinks to himself. He resolves to find a watch in Jack's things. He turns on the light in the bedroom to see the wall he had thought was solid does in fact have two doors in it. He opens the first to a closet filled with suits. Nothing but dress pants and shirts and coats, among some truly hideous shoes. Hatter backs out of the room and warily moves to the next. He finds another bathroom, this one with a huge tub of stone and a separate shower incased in glass. The walls are a few shades off from white and the stone is a light brown with faint dark swirls in it. He sees the toilet, white and the sink, also white but the one wall is a big mirror. He decides that this is the only room in the place that he likes.

He walks into the bedroom and turns on the light, surprised that the bedspread isn't some obnoxious throw back to the Prince of hearts. It is in fact just a light blue blanket with a navy stripe about a third of the way down. The drapes on the posts are navy as well, and they feel like a very heavy material. Hatter likes the bed, the blue reminded him of Alice's little dress. Hatter takes a breath and walks back into the suit closet. He pulls a pair of dress pants out and tries them on. His hips are wider than the Princes, and they are much too long. Slipping them back off, Hatter puts all the suit pants to the very back of the closet, letting them hang over the terrible shoes. Hatter tries the shirts next, but the shirts are too wide in the shoulders to say they fit well. They go the way of the pants. The belts and ties are allowed to stay but the dress coats are piled onto the shoes in the back of the closet. Hatter takes his coat and hangs it up on the newly freed hangers. He also retrieves Alice's coat and hangs it next to his. The sight makes his heart pang painfully, so he fetches his slightly flattened old porkpie. He sets it up above their coats and adds his own shoes below. He picks up his pants and he hangs them next to his coat, making him smile at the small collection of familiar things.

Left in only his shirt and boxers, he pads into the kitchen, scouring the cupboards for a kettle and some tea. After searching the entire kitchen, he finds no tea. He opens the fridge and pulls out a bottle of water. He twists it open and had a big gulp before wandering around the apartment for a bit, flicking all the switches and pushing any bottons he sees to find their purpose. After seeing everything there is to see, and turning out the lights in unnecessary rooms, he ends up back in the living room. There are a few books, but nothing that peaks his interest. He drinks his water and then sets the bottle into the trash. Suddenly weary, he returns to the bedroom, turning out the living room lights. He collapses back onto the bed, throwing his arm over his eyes as he thinks about his beautiful Alice.


	32. Chapter 32

**D.- It pains me to post this chapter. It marks the completion of my first story on Fanfiction since I deleted my previous account, back in the day, when they banned NC-17 fiction. It's not that the story itself is finished, because in fact, it's far from it, it's just that before I even posted chapter two, I'd gone on a two day writing binge and wrote the whole story, from beginning to end. I broke it up later into chapters, corrected and posted as you guys reviewed. I've loved all of your reviews and I appreciate that everyone loves my interpretation of the Alice/Hatter love story. I'm still working on chapter 2 of the sequel, but it's going to take some time. I'm forcing myself to write, since my muse seems to have abandoned me, but I'll make it work. I will not be posting the sequel until I have a few more chapters written, so that I can promise frequent updates the way I did with this story. Please add me to some kind of watch, either story or author, if you haven't already, and when I post it, I will make a note of it here. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, you've been a major inspiration to me through this story.**

Hatter wakes up in a strange state. He doesn't remember getting up to close the drapes that face the window, nor does he remember grabbing Alice's coat from the closet but there it it, draped over his arm, one hand resting gently on it. He trails his hand down the softly creased length of the coat and then realises its flat! His ring boxes are missing. Hatter sits up quickly and finds that the boxes are on his end table. He sighs in relief, opening each box and ensuring they still hold his treasures. That check complete, he replaces the rings into Alice's coat and hangs the coat in the closet once more.

He walks into the bathroom and walks over to the bath. He sniffs at the containers, finding all the smells are too strong for him, he replaces them all on the shelf. He walks into the other bathroom as well and checks those soaps. He finds one that he can stomach and carries it back to the bathroom in his room. He nods in appreciation when he notices that the towels are clean and everything is tidy. He wasn't sure that Jack, being a prince and all, would have kept a clean home. He starts the shower and relaxes under the warm spray, feeling along his ribs and stomach. There are no raised lumps along his skin and Hatter glances down, astonished that only faint white marks remain. He washes his hair vigorously, and sings a song he knows as he goes along.

"…And I know that it's so cliché,

to tell you that everyday

I spend with you is the new best day of my life…"

Hatter ducks his head under the spray washing the shampoo out as he hums along to the beat of the song for a bit. He picks up the song again as soon as he moves on to washing his body.

"…racking my brain

for a new, improved way

to let you know you're more to me than what I know how to say!"

He hums some more as he scrubs the soap over his face and rinses it immediately. He finished up his bit of a song while he steps out to towel off.

"If anyone could make me a better person you could,

All I have to say is I must've done something good.

Came around one day and you rearranged my life,

All I have to say is I must've done something right…

I must have done something right."

Hatter, completely dried off, steps into his boxers, hoping Alice will take him shopping so he can get some new clothes with the dollars Jack left him in the bank building. He steps up to the mirror, all clean and bruise free. He smiles at himself then notices his hair. He uses Jack's comb, since that is all he had, and brushes his hair down again, repeatedly. It begins to dry in that position as he keeps combing it. Satisfied that he looks somewhat proper, he makes his way out to the kitchen, and roots around for anything he can eat. As he pulls out some boxes from the cupboard, he reads labels. "Lucky Charms, Count Chocula, Alpha Bits? What is this stuff?" He tucks them back into the cupboard and pulls out something called Minute Rice. This box comes with directions, which seem easy enough, and they even have a little picture to help him find the 'saucepan' When he gathers the pot and the cup for measuring, he follows the directions exactly. When the rice is fluffy, he puts it on a plate and tastes it. It is very plain.

Hatter decides to find something that would make it taste better. He opens the fridge and pulls out some bottles from the door. The first is 'ketchup', and it doesn't smell like it will go well with rice. He pushes it aside and opens the 'mustard'. That one doesn't smell very strongly at all so he dabs a little onto his finger. He licks it and nearly spits the bitter, nasty stuff back out. He seriously contemplates throwing the whole bottle out but catches sight of the time. Its 1:24. He doesn't have long before he needs to go back to Alice's apartment. He opens the next bottle, sniffs it and makes an approving noise. The condensed chicken stock smells great so he squirts a little on top and mixes it around. The rice turns yellow with little flecks in it, but it tastes great!

His lunch finished, Hatter puts all the bottles back into the fridge quickly and skips over to the bedroom. His shirt is sitting on the floor of the bathroom, and it smells terrible. He pulls out a deodorant spray from beneath the sink and sprays it once in the air before approving and spraying himself with it. He roots through Jack's drawers, affixing a nice silver watch around his wrist, and he finds a plain white T-shirt. He runs to the closet, pulls on his pants and socks and shoes. He pulls on the coat and deliberates between the two hats. He decides to trust the white rabbit and wear the black hat. He uses his hands to comb down his hair one last time before putting the hat firmly on his head. He looks at himself in the mirror, takes a deep breath and smiles. He pats his pants to make sure he has his wallet, which he left in his pants the night before, and then walks to the front door. Hatter grabs his keys and leaves the suite.

Alice wakes to the sound of beeping. Her eyes are so heavy, she really isn't sure she wants to open them. Her hand feels weird so she flexes it into a fist, frowning when the skin seems to be too tight. She forces her eyes open when she hears her mother call her name. Her mom slides some hair out of her face gently.

"You gave me such a fright." Her eyes are welling up with tears. Alice feels guilty immediately.

"How long was I there?"

"Almost an hour." Comes the serious reply. Alice's brow furrows in confusion.

"An hour?" Alice can't believe that she has only been gone an hour! 'How can that be! I spent the night in Wonderland three times, there's no way that four days in wonderland is only an hour here! That's crazy!' Alice's mom doesn't seem to notice her inner turmoil.

"You were lucky. A construction worker found you in the building when he returned for his tools." Alice just half-smiles and looks away when the nurse comes in with discharge papers. Alice's mom is occupied with her, signning them and Alice has some time to process. 'Was it all a dream? Did I really do any of that or did I just slip and fall while trying to find Jack?'

She doesn't feel any emotion when she thinks of Jack. If she concentrates hard on him, she can make out his bleached hair, coifed perfectly. But she also remembers that his hair was almost too long and sandy colored before she left her apartment. She thinks she remembers seeing her dad, convincing him that she was his daughter and Hatter saving his life. She smiles as she thinks of Hatter, brave, foolish and sexy Hatter. Her heart plummets. 'Was he just a dream too?' A tear leaks from her eye and she wipes it away as her mother comes back to her bed, followed by a nurse.

"Time to go dear." The nurse removes her I. and heart rate monitor. She checks Alice's eyes and coordination before leaving the room. Alice's mother pulls out a bag of clothes and then waits in the hall while Alice gets dressed. When Alice emerges, she has even clipped back her hair, since she doesn't have a brush. Together, they walk out to the TAXI stand and return home.

Walking into her apartment, she still hasn't decided if it was all a dream. She can hear the alarm engaging, her mom's shoes stepping quickly across the hardwood, but all she can see is a replay of the events in wonderland, most revolving around Hatter. She also distinctly remembers her father, and hugging him goodbye before being pushed into the mirror. She finds her way into her room and runs her hands along her comforter, her lampshade and her dresser. She notices a book on her bedside table and she picks up her favorite childhood book, The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she turns over the cover and looks at the picture of the short little man in a really tall hat. Laughing to herself, certain that her dream Hatter would be offended if he saw that, she turns it back over. Her mom steps in to check on her.

"Everything ok dear?" Alice just stands and hugs her mom.

"I love you mom." Carol, taken aback by the sudden confession, holds her daughter tightly.

"I love you too dear." When Alice pulls away, Carol continues "What brought that on honey?" Alice just shrugs and laughs a little.

"Just thought it was about time I reminded you." Carol smiles softly and kisses her forehead just as the apartment door buzzes through the intercom.

"Oh! I almost forgot, the contruction worker who found you. He wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. Very sweet." She marches her heels over to the door and Alice takes a deep breath. She eyes the book one last time, then places it up on her bookshelf. She just barely hears the knock on the door, but her task complete, she looks herself in the mirror, trying to smooth her hair a little. Her mom calls from the foyer.

"Alice? Come meet David!" Carol ushers David into the room, tells him not to bother removing his shoes because they are replacing the floors soon anyway. Hatter gripa the edge of his hat as he feels his heart stop. Alice is walking, eyes downcast into the room and it's the moment of truth. When she finally looks up, and recognition fills her face, Hatter swears it's the most beautiful sight this side of the mirror.

"Hatter!" She calls as she runs towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. As they share a hug, he breathes in her smell, the perfect balance of clean and sweet.

"Finally." Is all he can mutter as he clutches her to him as tightly as he can manage. Alice is finally sure that her dream was no dream at all. She takes a breath before admitting.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you." She can feel Hatter's smile and she pulls back to look him in the eyes. Hatter, oblivious to everything but her, sees her look at his lips and he swoops down to capture her lips with his own. When their lips slip away from each other, he murmurs against her lips.

"I've missed you." Which Alice decides secretly means "Kiss me again" So she does. When they pull away again, Alice is facing him with a dreamy smile on her lips. She only half glances to the side where her mother is very openly gawking at them both in shock.

"Alice?" Alice, suddenly very panicked, looks up at Hatter, who turns to face Carol, his hat in his hand, his body somewhat blocking Alice from her mother.

**A.N.- Song Hatter is singing is called "Must have done something right" by Relient K. Saw a YouTube video for Alice and Hatter by the same name, and I could just imagine Hatter singing it in a band. This is my concession to that image. Can't post the link, but the video is called "Alice x Hatter Syfy Must Have Done Something Right". Love those videos, they keep me sane when I need a quick Alice/Hatter fix and I've read everything that's posted and complete. Btw, I don't own any of the name brand foods I've mentioned; I just used them in the story.**


End file.
